the agile housewife

1. I love going to the beach in summer. In Melbourne, most of the rain happens in winter and spring, so by summer, the water quality is at its best. I love watching people do the hot sand dance, and its converse, the cold water on sensitive bits shudder. There's no time of the day that the beach isn't great. From before breakfast, right through to dusk and night, the beach is a great place to be.
2. Frangipanis. As seen here: 
   
3. Stone fruit and berries. Fresh, made in to jam, gelato, stewed, so many ways of eating my favourite fruits! Oh and basil and coriander are going gangbusters in the garden, too.
4. I love twilight. At the height of summer, the sky in the horizon turns the most beautiful colour, while the sky overhead is dark enough to see stars. It beats the hell out of the quick descent of darkest night in winter. 
5. This might be a bit unpopular, especially with people who have timid animals, but I really enjoy fireworks, and in summer, they seem to be everywhere. 

Five summery things I can do without

1. The beach can get pretty crowded. I like it when it's nice and empty. That photo is a November beach, which would be just about perfect it weren't for what the Agile Professional calls "spanner water"*
2. Extreme temperature variations in Melbourne just about do my head in. This is what January looked like this year. I like my weather a little more consistent. Incidentally, today is freezing, turn the heater on type conditions.

3. I hate being at work and looking out at beautiful weather, which then changes just before home time so the trip to the beach for dinner gets cancelled. Avoiding this has been one of the key benefits of being made redundant four days before Christmas.
4. The grass in the back yard dies and the whole area becomes a hot dustbowl instead of the green oasis I want it to be. I'm slowly putting in more trees to try to avoid this, but we rent, so I don't want to overspend. 
5. Bushfires. No explanation needed.