Winter? You ain't seen nothin' yet!!

Last week Melbourne had some unseasonably warm tempertures for this time of the year. Mid 30's on the celcius scale was the norm for a few days. It was nice yet I was too far from a beach. I read the paper and almost laughed my Canadian ass off. One of the warm days they actually said, "Highs of 34C plummetted to 21C over night. Plummetted?? The only time we use that phrase is if the "plummet" takes the mercury below zero.
Coming up this week I have been informed that 'winter-like' temps are forthcoming. This is the part where I laugh until I cry. It is going to get so cold that the thermometer may dip, or plummet to a whopping 5-10C!! OH NOOOooooOOO. How can they live in this sort of "winter"?
I have tried to describe what Canadian cold is like to Aussies. It is like trying to explain why the war in Iraq is wrong to a Bush supporter. They have no clue.
So as I wind down the final weeks of my stay in the wonderful country of Australia I experience their winter coming just as Canada is having the same weather while it warms up. The transistion will be easy when I come home. Had I returned at the end of Feburary I may have gone a bit squirrly. the only thing about my later return home is I will have little of my Oz tan to use as bragging rights. I do however have a nice Aussie bush hat and some Blundstone boots to wear at this year's Calgary Stampede!
To cope with the winter I have bought a cheap, thin fleece jacket while the locals dress up in stuff made for -20C. I may wear shorts all week just to mess with their heads. Stay tuned!