It's Christmas on the islandsThe air is warm & still/ The sounds of night are loud & clear/ The tree frog's voice is shrill./ The stars are bright as diamonds/They herald Christmas morn/We wait & we remember/When Jesus Christ was born. The cards have snow on them. Icicles hanging from the trees. Warm mittens, glowing fires. Can't think why they do it. There isn't an icicle in sight round here unless you open the freezer door. Nope. No snow either.
Granted it is still overcaste. We had thunderstorms rattling round the horizon last night. Lots of thunder & lightening, no rain. It is warm & muggy. Iss is sprawled on his back to let the breeze ruffle his tummy. We are dripping perspiration & the poinciana is bleeding red petals onto the brick path.
The cicadas are chirring wildly in the trees & today is officially the first day of the school holidays. The kids are swarming through the streets in their swimmers with towls drapped across their shoulders heading for the pool & the jetty. Well, Ditz isn't. Ditz is confined to the hot old house to grow spottier & spottier eating jelly & custard & chicken soup that will just slide down her throat.
Cold drinks in tall glasses with ice. Sitting on the verandah in the afternoon shade as the breeze springs up. The air is thick with heat & it smells of overblown roses, of cattle cane sweet as burnt toffee, of eucalyptus, of seaweed & mud & salt. How Christmas is meant to be if you live south of the equator. Who wants snow & ice & hot toddies when you can have sun & surf & icecreams melting in the heat?
5 comments:
I just can't imagine a hot Christmas! [right at the moment, I've kind forgotten what a hot anything feels like LOL]
Hi Ganeida,
It is a beautiful sunny day here in the mid-north of South Australia. :)
Blessings,
Jillian
I used to live in Florida and there were a few Christmases that I was sitting in the sun in shorts, but I think most people like the climate to be how it was when they were children and I am an Ohioan at heart. I remember quite of few Christmases that were not white, but it was always cold.
Well, in six months you will be "chilling" in a different way while I will be well thawed, so enjoy it while you've got it! ;)
As you might recollect we are huge Wiggles fans 'round here (well, I spose I should say Millen is the huge fan and she has brought the rest of us along for the ride, lol) Anyway, they have a song they sing... I think it's "Having fun at the Beach" where everyone including Santa is at the beach having a picnic and such on Christmas. It was a weird thing to have to explain to Millen, but I think she has managed to get her head round it a bit. Still hard for me however;)
You are a cruel, cruel woman. Our temperature is 11 degrees (F.) as I type.
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