Thinking warm thoughts

Lest we forget it is winter in this part of the world, we're having a cold snap here with the overnight lows reaching near zero Celcius. The southerly winds can be brutal, especially since the older homes here are completely uninsulated and don't have central heating (note to self, South-facing apartment isn't such a great thing in the Southern Hemisphere).

During the day, it usually warms up to the mid-teens (50's-60's Fahreneheit). When the sun's out, the sidewalk cafes are packed, and it's warm enough to sit outside and have your flat white (coffee with steamed milk) or read the paper, as we did yesterday. So we can't complain too much about the winter weather here.

Another great thing they have here to beat the winter blues is the Ocean Spa, which is right down the hill from us. It's a huge outdoor complex right on the beach with several pools and whirlpools heated to varying temperatures as well as a sauna and steamroom. You can spend a couple hours just going from pool to sauna to whirlpool, etc. and it reminds me of the Russian Banyas (bathhouses) I used to go to in Moscow, only much cleaner and more modern.