foolish spring dressing

I should have watched the weather forecast last night. Or thought about the implications of this morning's frost. But no, I looked out the window and the sun was shining so I dressed in a summery blouse and 3/4 pants and set out for town.

The wind was icy, but I soldiered on - I was mostly inside so I would be alright. And the sun was shining.

Oh that I had watched that weather forecast! 13C was the projected top, as I discovered on a shopfront television. 13C - what season are we in again?

And then it snowed. I kid you not. Main street, summery blouse and 3/4 pants and it snowed! It never snows in town - only on the nearby mountains. And certainly not in the middle of spring.

Funnily enough I wasn't the only one in summery-clothes denial! Half of the city's inhabitants were caught out similarly, and we all stood stunned and shivering as the snow fell, turning incredulously to one another and asking if it really was snowing?! It wasn't rain, it wasn't hail - could these small, white flakes possibly be snow? We all confirmed for each other that it was indeed snow! Of course it melted straight away and soon turned to plain old rain, but oh what a chill thrill.

Interestingly enough, our movie of choice last night was "An Invconvenient Truth", Al Gore's documentary on global warming. The facts he presented were perhaps more chilling than today's snow. Our globe is on the boil - maybe not to the degree presented by Al Gore (we found an online interview where he admits to using the worst predictions to engender political policy change) but things are hotting up and we need to do something about it.

It's well known that Australia is one of only two developed countries that has not signed the Kyoto agreement. Well it's well known now that Al Gore declared it loudly from the screen! I felt so ashamed and saddenned when he declared this fact that I actually cried. It is a tragedy that as a country Australia will not acknowledge our part in producing greenhouse gases, take responsibility for it and do something about it. Hang the economy - we have a responsibility here.

Snow in November, and global warming. Hmmm. There's an anomaly here! Maybe it would have been more appropriate for Al Gore to have focused on the potential for a sudden ice-age brought on by ocean currents flummoxed by melting ice?!

Whatever, Frank and I are becoming more and more environmentally conscious. We're committed to doing our bit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our home.

Now I must away to rug up in warm winter clothes!