Tuesday, December 27/2022

Prepared for temperatures to drop after Christmas, and they will, a little. But this morning thermometer hung on the balcony is registering well over thirty degrees. That’s in the sun, of course. Predicted high is only twenty or twenty-one in the shade. But take the newspaper puzzle page and the coffee J has made this morning out into the sun to enjoy the touch of summer. Feels as if the lenses might easily start a fire. Pleasant  initially and then just too hot and too much glare on the page. It’s a tough life.

Dispute on the street below over apparent minor car accident. We heard loud horn but no sound of impact. One of the cars left partially blocking the street. Much animated discussion and seems both friends and police summoned. Friends show up, but not police, though clearly they were expected to as those we assume to be the injured party hang about for close to an hour before driving off, the girl in the other car having left much earlier.  The minor dramas of life here. Not always quite so minor, though. On one occasion a car flipped on its roof in the same location, having first sideswiped a number of parked vehicles. Jaws of life required and police definitely not slow about appearing then.

Chris phones from reception to give us the new entry code for the building. Dutifully write it down though it will only be required if we come back after midnight when the front doors are locked. Actually might have happened on New Year’s Eve in earlier years when we lived a block away from the beach and the fireworks lasted longer. Somewhat less likely this week.

Downside to all the sunny weather is that rainfall for the month to date has been only about a third the normal amount. Seems to have been close to normal over the autumn as a whole, though.