Summer Is Here In Adelaide

Summer has arrived in Adelaide.

It appears the current heatwave is hotter and earlier than ever before, for Novemeber. I saw a weather forecast yesterday, where the lady actually referred to the current soaring temperatures, as "...the heatwave from hell..."

Must be bad then, if an Australian is saying that.

I have been enjoying the heat, to an extent, because I'm off on holiday. It would be less enjoyable if I were working.

The one drawback for me, with the heat, in Australia, is that all the insects appear. In their thousands! Now we have the cat, I don't see so many creepy crawlies in the house. But outside! Wow. They are everywhere, and mostly of the winged variety. I read somewhere that there are approximately 400,000 varieties of insect in Australia.

A few days ago I went to the local shops, just to get some bits 'n' pieces. On the way back, I had two bags in one hand, and my mobile phone in my other. Sam was on the phone. All of a sudden, yet another fly began to...well I don't know what it was trying to do. Land on me? Inspect me? Attack me?

For almost 400 hundred metres, it followed me. I had no free hands. I tried walking fast and slowing down. Running for a spurt and then walking backwards for a step or two. I waved at the fly with my phone and my bags full of shopping. I tried shaking my head, and bending down and snapping quickly back up. I couldn't shake it off. I felt harassed.

Then I realised how I must look, when a woman in a white car slowed down to watch me. I had a sort of "out of the body" view of myself. I must have looked like I was having a siezure.

I told Sam I was hanging up, and then made my way along the road, before the woman could offer me her help.

I don't like flies. They are dirty. I am verging on being phobic, and I am not sure that the Australians would understand. They are used to their various winged, 6 and 8 legged creatures. A lovely woman I work with was very polite, containing her laughter, when I saw an ant on my shoulder and began to scream. Yes, I screamed, like a big girl!

I can justify it though, if I have the "phobic" label. Can't I?