Yesterday was hot. BBC weather says it was 24C here which felt pretty awful. How did I ever survive living in Brisbane? At least here the temperature typically falls overnight and one can get a good night’s sleep. We’re also cooler than many other parts of Europe which are experiencing heat waves right now. I miss winter so much.
It’s a depressing thought that the hottest temperatures today will be the coldest temperatures in the future – when exactly this happens it’s hard to say but it’s likely to be in my lifetime. London could be as hot as Barcelona by 2050. Last month was the hottest June on record and it’s looking like July will also see more temperature records tumble. Temperature records are tumbling so regularly that people don’t even seem surprised by it any longer.
I am still hopeful that our politicians will eventually take effective steps to change the trajectory but people need to vote for action before that will happen. As long as we’re voting for the likes of Donald Trump and Scott Morrison the planet will continue to warm and as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere the problem becomes more expensive and harder to solve.
But onto a much nicer topic which is that we’ve had visitors here over the past week. Last weekend a very dear friend came to visit from Australia. I haven’t seen her (Andrea) for about 12 years. We went to high school together and the friends you make in high school are friends for life. She and her husband recently adopted a child from Ethiopia and he’s the most adorable little boy. His name is Eyuel. Here are some pics:
Andrea and Martyn:
Yesterday a cousin of mine and her partner came to stay. I haven’t seen Georgia since she was a kid and here she is all grown up:
When you live far away from family it’s always nice when they can come and visit. It makes the distance feel less far away.
rachel.blog 
It’s hard not to feel sad when it’s so hot and the politicians in charge don’t care 😦
Nice to hear about Eyuel. 🙂
It’s a bit cooler this weekend. Hopefully, it’s cooler for you down south too.
I just returned from my country of birth after spending six-weeks with our families. The departure was painful and I am second-guessing what’s the point of staying this far from my family and friends. On deeper thought, I realized that I only miss a few key people in my life, but not my original country itself. It seems to have those important people to visit us is a great way to get the best of both worlds. Last year my in-laws visited, the year before my sister visited and the next year my parents will visit. Interestingly, this wasn’t apparent during the last few days of my holiday and I worried a lot that I am going to miss all the people I value. A great example of how emotions obscure the logic!
It’s good so many of your family can come and visit you. I feel bad for the kids who don’t have regular access to grandparents and they’re at an age when grandparents are wonderful and they love having them around. How often do you get to go back home?
I realize that not everybody can have their family visit them abroad. So I feel grateful that mine can.
Totally agree with bonding with grandparents. I thought my eight year old can’t bond well with our parents, but I am glad I was so wrong!
Last time I went home was in the June-July of 2016 just before starting full time at A8c. I again went this year after turning three at A8c. So it looks like every three years, but I had some or other family members see us almost every year since 2014.