After days of hot but delightfully clear and tolerable weather because of low humidity, we've just flipped into subtropical summer. Yesterday and today it rained for the first time this month, but rather than falling the temperatures are rising to add to the discomfort. Yesterday's thermometer reached 32 C (88 F); today it managed 33 C (90 F) and tomorrow it's slated to be 34 C (93 F). And the humidity is getting unbearable with people migrating to shopping centres to cool off or, in my case, a quick trip to the air conditioned gym out at the university where I pounded a treadmill.
Even the birds are having it tough. My three bird feeders are besieged immediately I top them up every morning and that seems to be because the very dry weather has diminished natural seed stocks. We've had up to 15 Galahs plus rainbow lorikeets and crested pigeons on the ground under the feeders at any one time catching crumbs from the messy eaters above - mainly lorikeets who somehow have the Galahs spooked despite being a lot smaller. Because the ground is hard after little rain, even the local magpies (pied Currawongs) are attracted by the seed since they're unable to dig for worms. And yesterday I found them bathing under the sprinkler taking a cooling shower.
At 34 C Armidale is going to be warmer than Darwin, Broome, and Cairns, all in the tropical north! This is the longest hot spell I can recall here in Armidale - quite exceptional really.
The one plus I can think of was the gorgeous sunrise this morning as the grey clouds were penetrated by the rising sun and turned a shade somewhere between crimson and purple. This picture was taken hastily and captures the view imperfectly.
AS
Even the birds are having it tough. My three bird feeders are besieged immediately I top them up every morning and that seems to be because the very dry weather has diminished natural seed stocks. We've had up to 15 Galahs plus rainbow lorikeets and crested pigeons on the ground under the feeders at any one time catching crumbs from the messy eaters above - mainly lorikeets who somehow have the Galahs spooked despite being a lot smaller. Because the ground is hard after little rain, even the local magpies (pied Currawongs) are attracted by the seed since they're unable to dig for worms. And yesterday I found them bathing under the sprinkler taking a cooling shower.
At 34 C Armidale is going to be warmer than Darwin, Broome, and Cairns, all in the tropical north! This is the longest hot spell I can recall here in Armidale - quite exceptional really.
The one plus I can think of was the gorgeous sunrise this morning as the grey clouds were penetrated by the rising sun and turned a shade somewhere between crimson and purple. This picture was taken hastily and captures the view imperfectly.
AS
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