"Dave Kearton" wrote in message
...
"Canuck" wrote in message


Hey Nick, the thought of temperatures like that are just something that
we
can't even comprehend. I was talking once to Gordon in San Diego
and asked him something about winter in California. I could hear
the
blank stare in his voice as he said "W i n t e r ? Hmmmm, I've heard
of
that once..."

Hi Dave! I know what you mean. Being right smack in the middle of the
continent means we get a very cold winter and fairly hot summers
(sometimes). Still, I don't think it has gotten above +35 C or so recently.
When I was in Europe a few years back, it was +38 C or +40 C every day. I
just wasn't used to that kind of heat and I also sunburned quite badly
despite using sunscreen and so on. I couldn't wait to get back to Canada.

Cold for us - at least where I am, is where it'll get to a point or two
overnight or maybe as low as 10C during the day. I've been living
in
this current house for 23 years and I've seen snow once, FIVE flakes over
a
20 minute period one morning. Every family in the street took
their
kids outside to show them what it looked like. Some of us older
folks are still talking about the blizzard of '91.

We have recreational ski fields that appear in the east for a short time,
like Brigadoon, but just like the other 'snow' it's hideously expensive
and
just as addictive.

Up until now, I'd always believed that it's easier to keep warm than it is
to get cool, you just need to wear more clothes. If inanimate
objects
break or important fluids freeze up, then maybe warmer is better.

I agree with you. I find cold easier to tolerate than heat. You can only
take so much off!

I wonder if you would even know what a block heater is. Our cars are
equipped with a block heater. We plug our cars in when it gets this cold so
that they will start. My car has a battery blanket too to keep the battery
functioning better and for easier starting.

For some days, I get to work on building rooftops - luckily, I get to
politely decline the high work on hot days, galvanised iron sheeting will
easily remove skin at 40+, not to mention, sunburn, heat stress and
de-hydration.

The tennis ? No, at one point we had two networks solidly
broadcasting
their own coverage for most of each day - different games too.


Luckily, I was watching a third network, which was all cricket - now
there's
a man's game, no overpaid Frenchmen or Spaniards there. In case
you're
wondering, Australia - after being the world's number one cricketing
nation
for the last 15 years, humiliating all in our path - we're now getting
our
hats handed to us firstly by India and currently by South Africa.
Had to happen of course, its not healthy for any country to dominate a
sport
by so much for that long.

What can you do? Outsourcing/globalization at work! I don't know if there
is an organized cricket league in Canada or for that matter even a
disorganized league! It seems like an interesting game but I have no idea
what the rules are or how the scoring works. Occasionally, BBC World will
have some coverage but since I'm unfamiliar with the game, I'm not really
sure how things work. In Canada, hockey is the most followed/popular sport
followed by football (American football.... not soccer). Lately, baseball
has become more and more popular and is getting quite a following
here....and baseball is really just an adaptation of cricket.

As for tennis, Australia has had quite a few champions on both the men's and
women's side and you have a great heritage there along with one of the most
important tournaments on the calendar. I would love to go and see the
Australian Open some day. In fact, I'd love to do my own Grand Slam and
visit all of the majors sometime during my lifetime.

Take care for now and thanks for the great pictures!

Nick