Right on Cue

I believe I have previously touched on the fact that the Aussies do not use the solstice to define the seasons. Instead, they declare summer on December 1st, autumn on March 1st, winter on June 1st, and spring on September 1st. Winter of 2012 has apparently been the wettest winter in 16 years, and in the last week or so we have been having intermittent storms with sideways hail and thunder (it does not lightning/thunder here often). Apparently the weather gods are well aware of the Australian season changing dates though, because September 1st brought absolutely beautiful weather, with a repeat of similar weather today (about 65 and sunny). It was almost like a switch was flipped, as we had a cold, rainy morning on August 31st with clearing in the afternoon, and we have not seen a raindrop since. Of course I will not be shocked if we see rain and cool temperatures in the next few weeks, but it is a nice feeling to be on the "other" side of winter.

Yesterday was the Grand Final for our footy club, and unfortunately we did not come away victors. We were underdogs (number 4 seed versus the number 1 seed), but you would not have known that by watching the game, as the Moonee Valley boys absolutely held their own against the top-ranked club. Down by 2 points with about 2 minutes to go, we just could not set up a scoring opportunity. With about 30 seconds left in the match, the opposing team got possession of the ball and scored a goal to secure the win, 76-68. The match was played at Windy Hill, which used to be a ground for one of the professional AFL teams, the Essendon Bombers. The Bombers still train there, so the facility was top notch.

View from the Windy Hill club room, where we were provided with free food and booze after the game!

The last few weeks have been a fantastic playoff run for our team and I know that everyone at the footy club is looking forward to next season already. Fortunately, losing did not discourage the chance to celebrate a successful season, and the after party, computerized karaoke machine included, did not disappoint! The post season celebrations remind me a bit of "Binge Week", a tradition of football players at the university I attended where there is a themed party each night for a week after the end of the season. Today was "Silly Sunday" for the football club and tomorrow is "Mad Monday". Erik is due to fly back from Perth tonight and apparently has rearranged his work schedule so that he can participate in Monday's festivities. Perhaps I'll have some mid-week stories to share about his experience, though they will not be firsthand, as I have to go to work tomorrow!