Thanks goodness summer's over!  It's been a very hot season all round this year.  On checking the Bureau of Meteorology, I came across the following data:

"Perth Metro's mean daily maximum temperature for summer 2012-13 was 32.3°C, which is the hottest summer at Perth Metro since records commenced in 1897, exceeding the previous record of 32.0°C set in the summers of 2010-11, 2009-10, and 1977-78.  Daily maxima at Perth Metro during summer ranged from a mild 23.6°C on 7 December to a very hot 42.1°C on 31 December. Perth Metro recorded 21 days with daily maximum temperature of 37°C or higher in summer 2012-13, the highest number on record.

Perth Metro's mean daily minimum temperature for summer 2012-13 was 18.8°C, which is well above the average of 17.5°C. Daily minima at Perth Metro ranged from a cool 9.4°C on 7 December to a hot 27.3°C recorded on both 29 December 2012 and 15 January 2013."

Generally, March still has some hot days, but at least there will be less and less of them. The real season change is usually around Easter, and that's just one month away. Soon, I'll be complaining that it's too cold! :) :)

At the moment, it's 26°C.  Very pleasant.  It's cloudy and we've even had a touch of rain.

Well, here we are in the middle of our heat wave.  Oh, joy. 

I try not to go outside too often because it's just so uncomfortable out there.  The air conditioner is certainly earning its keep, though we can't keep it on all the time.  I'm not looking forward to the electricity bill!

I'm also getting a bit sick of the nights when the house is so hot inside.  I don't think I could cope without the fan in the bedroom.  The other night Laurie, for some unfathomable reason, turned it off! I woke up at 1.30 am covered in perspiration.  Whew!  *click* Back on and back to sleep!

Any attempts to coax cool outside air inside don't work.  (But last night even that was futile as the outside air was almost as warm as it was inside...)

Whinge, whinge, whinge!   :)

A short while ago it was...




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ETA:  The maximum temperature got to 42.1°C this afternoon.  It's now 6.30 pm and still 37.0°C.  :)

Today was Perth's hottest March day on record - 42.4C  (108.3F).   There's good news - tomorrow is expected to be cooler at "only" 38.0C (100.4F)!


Some of my plants are suffering from the heat.  Some of the native plants have closed their leaves up along their stems to help conserve moisture.  All I can do is keep the plants watered and hope for the best.  

One of my coleus plants under the shade cloth has suffered burnt leaves from the hot easterly wind.  I had to put up a barrier (an old bag slit up one side and tied to a stake to shelter my maidenhair ferns.  Earlier in the season, all of the leaves shrivelled up from the blast of hot wind, and I was left with a whole lot black sticks.  Thankfully they've regenerated, and now I'm babying them!