All right, so it’s not that bleak, but on a blustery cold showery day in Sydney, with barely a patch of blue to make a sailors suit, it felt like the depths of winter. And of course it is, the Winter Solstice. No druids to be found on Bondi this morning (aside from Ants of course), just a smattering of old bronzed sea-dogs in their worn budgie-smugglers, hipster surfers braving the churning waves, goose-fleshed pommy backpackers daring the shallows, and clusters of bewildered Chinese tourists taking selfies.

The Sydney Morning Headline yesterday read ‘Sydney wakes to coldest morning of the year as winter chill kicks in’. And at 6 degrees overnight, it was bloody cold!

Still, with the Solstice almost behind us, it’s all uphill from here!