Is it really winter

| Chris Riley

The third day of the WA Labour Day week-end, and the third day of winter.  Is this really winter? The  skies were blue on the 1st day of winter with a peak temperature of 23°. Again the skies were blue on the 2nd day of winter and the peak temperature was 22°. Very little change today, blue skies again, a few clouds, and 21° . Guess the woolies can stay packed away for a day or two longer yet. 

Busselton Jetty highlighted by blue skies

We used to live in Perth and would visit Busselton or somewhere else in the Margaret River region on long week-ends, along with thousands of other Perth-ites. Now we live where we used to holiday, and as we’re  retired, we don’t need to use long week-ends  to get away from the big smoke. Instead long week-ends have taken on a  new meaning  for us. Holiday season  means the traffic ramps up, and the places we like to visit are jam packed with pesky tourists – only kidding!

I love that people like to holiday in the place where I’m lucky enough to live. We tend to stay away from the more popular places when it’s peak season though. The tourists only get a few days here and there to enjoy what we get to enjoy all year. They don’t need us adding to people vying for tables at one of the many wineries, boutique breweries, or beach side picnic tables. 

Long week-end crowds

Staying close to home doesn’t mean staying indoors. We still have our own beach for walking, and the beach path for cycling. The beach shows signs that winter weather is approaching despite the continuing blue skies. The ocean has been busy dumping piles of seaweed along the shore, as it does in winter months. Busselton has very little in the way of sand dunes so the seaweed helps to provide a buffer when the storms come.

Seaweed dumped by the rising winter tides
Not much in the way of sand dunes to prevent erosion in winter. Every bit of weed that’s pushed in to mound up helps
The weed wasn’t enough last winter. A concrete bench was washed off its feet and dumped in the drink

The weed means for us that the beach isn’t as pretty to walk along, however Mr Tilly has no objection. For him mounds of seaweed means fun things to run around, jump over, sniff at, and do what ever else male dogs like to do with things they can lift their leg against. Yes, mounds of seaweed add to his doggie heaven.

Mr Tilly doesn’t mind the seaweed at all

I’m not much of a bike rider, but I’ve been giving it a go this week-end. We had tried Mr Tilly in the basket on the back of Paul’s bike previously, but he had too much restless puppiness in him. He’s a bit more settled now, and is getting the idea he has to stay seated. Paul rides in front, and I ride behind where I can remind him to “sit”, should he look like he’s about to stand up. His head goes from side to side taking in everything from this new perspective, his nose sniffing in all the smells, and all the while he keeps an eye on me to make sure I’m keeping up.

Perhaps we should get him some sun glasses and a cap
These two had the right idea (they were collecting for the blind at the Jetty)

With the blue skies, and pleasantly warm days it’s easy to think winter hasn’t arrived yet. Our days are shorter though and the evenings are cold. With the seaweed banking up, clearly it won’t be long until the seasonal storms arrive. Until they do, I’m happy to enjoy a bit more sunshine.

34 thoughts on “Is it really winter”

    1. It’s the biggest we could get. If he stays seated he’s ok, and being a bit on the small side it keeps him from fidgeting to much. He looks happy enough to be coming with us rather than being left behind. The two dogs we photographed with the glasses and caps on ride on the back of their 80 year old owners motor bikes. Only one at a time though, he was telling us. They just balance on the seat.

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  4. Oooh I love that statement ‘ we now live where we used to holiday’ So much promise in that line for us who enjoy holidays and traveling. 🙂 Lovely pictures Chris. Your place is beautiful. 🙂

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    1. I haven’t been to Goolagong Beach, but Port Elliot and Victor Harbour are lovely. You will find it different to be living where the tourists go. The holiday season is a whole new ball-game!

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  6. Oh lucky you with winter held at bay a bit longer. It has certainly hit with a vengence in SA, freeeeeezing already. 🥶 We have just made the move to a beach town ourselves, to an area we’ve loved to holiday at for many years. It’s going to be interesting watching the weather and the crowds change.

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  7. We are freezing over here with the patch of dry cold air from the south west. I feel it so much more here than when I was in Scandinavia, and Europe, ironically. Then again our houses are not made for the cold. Miss Teen just said it is the first time Darwin is looking pretty good. I am sitting here beneath a rug with layers on and a candle burning. I don’t want to put on the air con. Might run up and down the stairs a few times rather than putting on my gloves!
    I just love Mr Tilly’s seat on the back. He does look like he is loving the walks and just look at those cool dogs with their sunnies on! How cold is it in the evenings at your place?

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    1. The evenings are definitely cool. I think it’s been down as low as 3°, but generally I think it gets to somewhere between about 8 – 10. We have the heating on by 5 every most evenings. When I came to Perth from Christchurch, NZ 44 years ago I couldn’t believe how cold the winters were. In Christchurch sometimes the only way you’d know it’s summer is the hours of daylight. In Perth there’s a big difference between the summer and winter temperatures, and I think that’s what makes the winters feel so cold.

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      1. Yes, the warmth of summer makes the blood thin! Whether there is any truth in that, or merely an old wives’ tale, it matters not. The lower humidity also makes it feel a lot colder. In Europe, it is damp and cold. However, when there is no wind chill factor at play, the humidity makes it feel warmer. I have felt comfortable at 11 degrees in Denmark, or even 6 – 10 degrees in NZ, but here either of those temperatures and I am huddling under doonas and screaming for the heater! And I like the cold!

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      3. It is interesting and folks in Europe don’t get that. I had a Swedish girl live with us for six months, who was on exchange and had been living in Beaudesert ( inland west of Brisbane in a valley) and it is notoriously cold there in winter. She was in an old weatherboard house and said she had every item of clothing she could put on, and was under the covers and was still cold! Kind of proves the cold is different, doesn’t it.

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      7. Ah! I imagine it has been sad to see what happened to that pretty city. I was there two weeks prior to the first quake, and at the time I thought it was such a nice place, that I could see myself retiring to such a town. Do you still have family there? Are they doing okay? I have a few friends’s who have family there and are still struggling somewhat.

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      9. It is a terrible shame. But it shows the people are resilient and we can adapt to almost anything. That is so heartening. Mind you, I think I would have hightailed it out of there.

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  8. After such a long hot autumn, winter has come here with a blast this week. We’re getting the icy wind from that southern chill and it is bitterly cold. Interesting to read that the seaweed provided a protective barrier for the beaches. When we stayed at Dunsborough in winter, we were amazed at the huge mounds of seaweed along the beach. It wasn’t very attractive but we weren’t planning on swimming anyway.

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    1. Our beaches are very flat so the storms can wash away the beach paths in the winter, and have the past two years. The council is trying to add big rocks now for the seaweed to nestle into as a bit of a barrier. It’s not very attractive in the winter (except to dogs – they seem to love it). Come summer though and it quickly all washes out to sea again.

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      2. We will stay warm. It’s blowing an absolute gale at the moment. Pauls just come back from walking Mr Tilly and reports there are here huge waves on our normally flat beach, so I hope they don’t do to much damage too. Anyone who doesn’t believe the oceans are rising need to come see our beach. Every year the beach seems to get smaller as the water rises. I don’t think there’ll be many more years before the water’s reach the property line. We’re nearly 300 metres away from the beach, so I think we’re far enough away. That’s providing there’s no tsunamis. If one should hit our coast, poor old Busselton would be all but obliterated. It’s very flat so nothing to keep the waters back!

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