The change in the scenery and environment from Munich and Melbourne couldn’t have been starker and more abrupt.
墨爾本和慕尼黑，是兩個差天共地的世界。
Not least of which is the temperature. For one thing, I’m glad that I won’t have to shiver under four or five layers of my thickest clothes (and I’m sure the sun was shivering too …)
最能直接感受的，要算是氣溫的差異。穿了四、五層厚衣仍會發抖的日子，殊不好受（我想那些日子太陽也會冷得發抖呢！）幸好已成過去。
See if you can read the temperature display in the photo, taken at 09:00 on 7th January, the day before I left Munich.
離開慕尼黑前一天（1月7日）早上9點的氣溫，放大相片便可看到！
But nothing prepared me for what was to come in Melbourne. The mercury of normal household thermometers nearly overshot the designed limits, not just for one day but three days in a row in the last week of January! 43, 44 and 45 were not only just a rare trio in lottery, but were a lethal combination of maximum temperatures that wrecked havoc on all fronts. Perhaps Nature is playing a nasty lottery on us! How did it feel like? I could only think of a blast furnace or a desert that has extended its reach by several thousand kilometres from the centre of Australia. Even night time didn’t provide much relief either.
但我總也沒想到，來了墨爾本等於來到另一個極端，普通的家用寒暑表也差點「爆標」——不祇是一天，而且是連續三天！43、44和45這三個數字，令人想起的豈止是六合彩不常出現的三個大號碼，而且是令人生畏、破壞力極強的三個最高氣溫，究竟大自然是不是要和我們來一次大豪賭？那三天的感覺，不外乎是走在一個大融爐裡，又或覺得澳洲中部的沙漠一下子擴張了幾千公里，就算是晚上也不好受！
Even the magpies are heeding medical advice and stayed in the shade on one of those crazy days!
在如此非常日子，連喜鵲也聽從政府忠告，避免曝曬！
This also marked a very hot start to the Chinese New Year. It’s a happy coincidence that the Chinese New Year day happens to be a bank holiday this year thanks to it being also Australia Day. This interesting combination had me switching between the de rigueur festivities at home such as the vegetarian lunch and receiving relatives, and the quintessential Australian Day barbecue – a popular way to spend the day by most Australians – at a friend’s place.
這個酷熱的一週，正值是牛年伊始。今年大年初一正好又是澳洲國慶日，所以難得過年也可放假，所以大年初一除了一貫的吃齋菜和拜年外，也可入鄉隨俗，抽空到朋友家「國慶燒烤」！
For something more traditional ...
在澳洲過年，總算還有氣氛。
Just when I thought the worst of the summer heat was over, it came back with real vengeance yesterday (7th February). Apart from the unforgiving 46°C heat, it also came with fires that swallowed entire townships, people’s livelihoods and even their lives. But let’s hope our world won’t run like a mad bull again in the remainder of the Year of the Ox.
還以為那些熱得發瘋的天氣不會再打擾我們，豈料昨天重臨人間，而且毫不留情，到處挑惹祝融之災，所到之處，無堅不摧，生靈塗碳，祇希望這個牛年餘下的時間，世界不會再像蠻牛般亂闖。
墨爾本和慕尼黑，是兩個差天共地的世界。
Not least of which is the temperature. For one thing, I’m glad that I won’t have to shiver under four or five layers of my thickest clothes (and I’m sure the sun was shivering too …)
最能直接感受的，要算是氣溫的差異。穿了四、五層厚衣仍會發抖的日子，殊不好受（我想那些日子太陽也會冷得發抖呢！）幸好已成過去。
See if you can read the temperature display in the photo, taken at 09:00 on 7th January, the day before I left Munich.
離開慕尼黑前一天（1月7日）早上9點的氣溫，放大相片便可看到！
But nothing prepared me for what was to come in Melbourne. The mercury of normal household thermometers nearly overshot the designed limits, not just for one day but three days in a row in the last week of January! 43, 44 and 45 were not only just a rare trio in lottery, but were a lethal combination of maximum temperatures that wrecked havoc on all fronts. Perhaps Nature is playing a nasty lottery on us! How did it feel like? I could only think of a blast furnace or a desert that has extended its reach by several thousand kilometres from the centre of Australia. Even night time didn’t provide much relief either.
但我總也沒想到，來了墨爾本等於來到另一個極端，普通的家用寒暑表也差點「爆標」——不祇是一天，而且是連續三天！43、44和45這三個數字，令人想起的豈止是六合彩不常出現的三個大號碼，而且是令人生畏、破壞力極強的三個最高氣溫，究竟大自然是不是要和我們來一次大豪賭？那三天的感覺，不外乎是走在一個大融爐裡，又或覺得澳洲中部的沙漠一下子擴張了幾千公里，就算是晚上也不好受！
Even the magpies are heeding medical advice and stayed in the shade on one of those crazy days!
在如此非常日子，連喜鵲也聽從政府忠告，避免曝曬！
This also marked a very hot start to the Chinese New Year. It’s a happy coincidence that the Chinese New Year day happens to be a bank holiday this year thanks to it being also Australia Day. This interesting combination had me switching between the de rigueur festivities at home such as the vegetarian lunch and receiving relatives, and the quintessential Australian Day barbecue – a popular way to spend the day by most Australians – at a friend’s place.
這個酷熱的一週，正值是牛年伊始。今年大年初一正好又是澳洲國慶日，所以難得過年也可放假，所以大年初一除了一貫的吃齋菜和拜年外，也可入鄉隨俗，抽空到朋友家「國慶燒烤」！
For something more traditional ...
在澳洲過年，總算還有氣氛。
Just when I thought the worst of the summer heat was over, it came back with real vengeance yesterday (7th February). Apart from the unforgiving 46°C heat, it also came with fires that swallowed entire townships, people’s livelihoods and even their lives. But let’s hope our world won’t run like a mad bull again in the remainder of the Year of the Ox.還以為那些熱得發瘋的天氣不會再打擾我們，豈料昨天重臨人間，而且毫不留情，到處挑惹祝融之災，所到之處，無堅不摧，生靈塗碳，祇希望這個牛年餘下的時間，世界不會再像蠻牛般亂闖。
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