wacky weather, cracking a wobbly and the hole in the ozone layer

well, the weather has changed considerably from when i first arrived. the hottest day of the year here felt like a good-ole summer day in Dallas. that sure changed quickly. in fact, the weather here changes *seasons* from early morning, to noon, to afternoon, to evening. at night i sleep with a down comforter and extra blankets. cold weather is good for sleeping and I've certainly been getting some quality zzz's. i put the shorts and sleeveless tops away after day one. now i wear pants, closed toe shoes, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt and a sweater every day and carry my sandals with me for when it gets hot. At the right moments I strip one item of clothing off or add another. Oy! Actually, it is a bit like San Francisco weather.

I'm amazed at how NOT foreign is feels here. Maybe it is because I've lived in London so have already experienced the initial culture shock regarding street signs, metrics (km), driving opposite side/roundabouts, food names (tomahto sauce = ketchup, chips= french fries, rocket= arugula, serviette=napkin, boot=trunk of your car), etc. Maybe it feels less foreign because the people here seem to have more of an American temperament--friendly, informal and direct. There are some things that I expected would be different here which aren't. For example, at the grocery store, they weigh your veggies for you and bag them just like in the States; not so in Europe and UK. Though there is always something new to learn. Like the expression I heard today, "crack a wobbly", which means lose it/get mad "I thought she was going to crack a wobbly" or "no need to crack a wobbly" or "if you do that again i'm going to crack a wobbly".
Also "good on you" which means "great" [that you did that]. And "how are you going?" which is a really popular way to say "how are you?" or "how is it going?"

Have made some progress getting situated here; I got a bank account. Very easy, just showed my passport. Bought a prepaid sim card in a random phone shop and stuck it in my phone. very easy. went schlepping neighborhoods to determine where i might like to live; not so easy. haven't seen anything yet that quite "clicks" for me, so I'll keep doing the schlep. my stay here at Heather's sisters house ends Saturday when the family returns from their beach holiday. at that point I'll move to Heather's husbands studio until I find my own place. It will all work out I'm sure. In the meantime, I'm re-sorting the piles of clothes in my suitcases so I have easy access to what I need. Work starts this coming Monday, so I'll try to have zeroed in on a neighborhood by then and seen at least a few properties.

Fun facts:
1. The ozone layer over the Antarctic is now the largest ever, reaching out to Australia, which means more sever levels of UV radiation getting through to ground level. Australians suffer the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. I became aware of this when I inquired about the hats the little kids all seems to wear-- flaps over the ears and down the back of the neck. These sun shield hats are required for school kids.

Drought is a natural part of Australian life. The main cause of drought in Australia is El Niño - extensive warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that leads to a major shift in weather patterns across the Pacific. So, no car washing, lawn sprinklers, etc.

The good news is that the dry heat and water type seem to work well for my hairstyle :o)