IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING

For the last week, it's rained every day. And I suddenly remembered what Perth winter's were like. Wet. I know some of you will find this hard to imagine, but I did play hockey as a school girl. Not well, I hasten to add but well enough to stay on the team. Left half back, that was my role. I don't remember getting any pleasure out of it but Betty, who was a great sportswoman, made us play sport summer and winter. I wasn't old enough or bold enough to object but I did have my own special way of demonstrating my discomfort.

I wore a dry cleaning plastic bag over my uniform when playing hockey in order to reduce the risk of being drenched every weekend. Of course I was laughed at but as I watched other girls covered in mud and drowned in water, I felt that I had the last laugh.

While Perth winters weren't as cold as Melbourne ones (as I type it's 18 degrees here and 11 degrees there), the houses were built for summer breezes rather than fires. There was a fireplace in our first home in City Beach but I don't remember it ever being used.

Susan & Ann, Hesperia Ave lounge room, 1959

Instead, we would huddle around a one bar radiator and dry our hair sitting in front of the wood burning kitchen stove. The world is now a different place and Archibald St has an impressive (although probably expensive because we haven't received a bill yet) dual zoned airconditioner and on slightly nippy nights we've been toasty warm in our new lounge room.


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