2014-01-21      Hot Australia

Hello again from Queensland where I'm enjoying my annual holiday. While Hong Kong experiences a very cold winter these days, Australia is having a very hot summer. Maybe you've seen some of the tennis from Melbourne, where the Australian Open is being played in temperatures of around 40 degrees.

2013 was Australia's hottest year on record, and the heat is going to get worse. It is said that Sydney will soon have Brisbane's weather, Brisbane will have Darwin's weather, and Darwin will be too hot to live in.

Sadly, most Australians don't believe that we humans cause climate change. Most Australians don't realise that the coal taken from Australia is causing not only pollution and sickness in China, but also is a major contributor to global warming.

Smile: Last week I had my annual check-up with a skin specialist. All clear for another year DG ("Deo Gratias"). When I made an appointment for January 2015, the specialist's secretary said only January 19 was possible, and on January 19 only two spots were available. (No pun intended by her, but as an English teacher I laughed, since "spots" can mean skin spots!)