Summer has arrived

Summer is here on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula coast in South Australia.

The  weather  has now settled into its normal summer pattern of  clear,  bright light; sunshine;   blue skies; and warm to hot temperatures.  Kayla and I  start  our walk  along the coastal rocks  early  in the morning in order to avoid the heat of the early morning sun.

We usually start  just after  sunrise:

On our  afternoon  walks Maleko and I  struggle with  the heat,   as the sun is still quite high  at 6pm,  and  there is little by way of open shade amongst the coastal rocks.   We   welcome the cool breeze that keeps the temperatures down and dread the hot, north-westerly wind. 

The overcast days with their  soft,  early morning and late afternoon  light have  gone and they are but a memory. The green land has become  brown,  whilst winter the grasses along the heritage trail  are drying fast.

People have started swimming and hanging out on the beach at Petrel Cove, and Suzanne has been for  her first swim at the little  beach at the foot of Rosetta Head.  It is a time of  images and memories of heat, sand and sea.

With  the start of  the rock lobster  season  the recreational  boaties  have arrived in force and they will keep coming to participate in  the Coast 2 Coast (southern blue fin) Tuna Tournament in February, unfortunately. The boat lobby  has captured the Victor Harbor Council–they have their own committee— and the Council  sings the boaties  tune in the name of tourism.

The boaties  tune is a simple one: recreational boaties rule on the coast ie., their  interests must come  before those of anyone else.

People are wearing shorts and singlet type  tops in the morning,  the  holiday houses are being prepared  for the Xmas break (windows cleaned, lawns moved etc.),  the Xmas decoration are everywhere,  and there is the awful piped Xmas music playing at 6am on a deserted Ocean St in the Victor Harbor  township.