No Daylight Savings

No daylight was harmed in the making of this post

Oct 1, 2017

For the first time since it started in 1971, I am in a place without Daylight Savings time. It's very odd. Even odder will be the lack of long, lingering twilights through the summer months. The sun sets around 6.30pm and it's dark half an hour later. I'll miss being able to go for a long walk after dinner.

After a very hot week (temps around 38-39C), it rained here for the first time since about March (with more on the way) which has allowed us to test the waterproofing of the extension. A few small leaks were found and fixed. While it couldn't be said to have topped up our dam, the decline in water levels has slowed for the moment.

During the rain our verandah filled up with the pack of apostle birds which would dash out into the rain, get soaked, then run back to fluff up and preen. They're hilarious to watch, always squabbling and in each other's space. To add to the cacophany, a family of babblers sheltered in the eaves as well. I thought we'd taken a video but I can't find it.

I've been "skin polishing" at lapidary club. This is polishing sapphires that aren't suitable for faceting. You have to use diamond grit as sapphires are so hard. I'm happy with how it's come up: I'm using a sapphire I found at a nearby tourist park.