
In Sydney, summer means cruise ships! This is “Voyager of the Seas” moored alongside the Overseas Passenger Terminal.
I wasn’t sure how to approach Cardinal Guzman’s “The Changing Seasons” monthly photo challenge. Two problems arose. One was that by the time I learned about the challenge on 27 January, all the things that characterise Sydney in January (the festival, the outdoor concerts, Australia Day) had passed. Second, and perhaps bigger, is that the seasons don’t really change in Sydney! Oh yes, in winter the non-native trees lose their leaves, but we have green grass, flowering shrubs and palm trees year-round; there are no dramatic snowfalls or ice storms or frosts to contrast with gentler weather. As for the first problem, the cardinal reminded me that there’s more to life than just highlights; as for the second, well, maybe Sydney will have a freak snowstorm this winter!
Yesterday I had a couple of hours to kill between social engagements, so I decided to see if I could capture some January photos. I was in the Opera House-Circular Quay-Rocks areas.
Australia Day may have come and gone, but some banners remain.

Australia Day banner near the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Now here is something you don’t see every day: a pop-up gin bar. It’s associated with an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art and runs all summer.
If gin’s not your thing, you could just chill on a deck chair and watch the world go by.

Or perhaps you prefer a blue-striped deck chair?
One thing has characterised our season this January: violent thunderstorms. The hot, humid days mean torrential rain and driving winds hit the city almost every day, usually around the early evening rush hour. They cause power outages, wind damage and traffic chaos. 30 January was no different: by 5pm, it was a case of when, not if!

Very ominous sky over the harbour bridge.
Umbrellas up! These are security guards by the cruise ship.
Tourists and Sydneysiders alike headed for home — but at a leisurely stroll. No need to panic.

Wet paving stones gleaming in the first fall of rain.
The heavens opened and it was no time for waving a camera around. I took shelter at the Overseas Passenger Terminal along with a few dozen others. Now was the time to panic.

Do you really get less wet if you run?
Those deck chairs don’t look so inviting any more, do they?

Blown-out deck chairs in the storm.
I had never noticed this statue on the roof of the art museum before. I like how it’s pointing up at the storm!

Hey look, it’s raining! Again!
Perhaps the only good thing about these violent January storms is that they don’t last long. The sky soon brightened.

A patch of blue sky!
“Voyager of the Seas” was down to only a few mooring lines, about to head off to sea. And I had to head off to meet my friends.

Ready to go.
That’s it for January in Sydney. I just squeaked in under the deadline!
I love the way you captured that deck chair thrashing about. I’d forgotten about this challenge, too. I did one post last year, but never followed up. So, it’s on again for 2016. Hmm, better go check my January photos then. I love your selection. 🙂
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Yes, join in this year!
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Thanks Christine! I’m thankful that I was able to capture those thrashing chairs while standing under cover, rather than being thrashed around myself. 😉
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Hi Karen, Liked your mini-photo story!
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I’m glad you could join the challenge! Your post made me remember that I recently saw a video about rain and running. It’s better to run and here’s the scientific explanation for it:
Total wetness = (wetness per second X time spent in rain) + (wetness per meter X meters traveled).
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haha, that is brilliant! Thanks for the explanation.
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I love this video!
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I visited Sydney about a dozen years ago and I could visualize the harbour throughout your story. No rain when we were there 🙂
I liked the photo of the deck chairs. They looked liked they were ready to sail away!
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Thanks for the visit, Joanne. This summer has been especially wet and violent. I’ve read that it’s linked to the El Nino phenomenon. The deck chairs were tied to each other with bicycle locks, maybe that helped to anchor them?
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I’m guessing the locks were to prevent theft. In this case, they were to prevent being blown away!
No question we are getting weirder weather with each passing year!
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You are too right about the weird weather!
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I love this story-telling post. And the photo with the heavy rain bouncing and blurring people’s feet makes me hear the downpour! You’ve made me feel like I visited Sydney for the afternoon ~ lovely!
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Thanks Paula! Did you enjoy your drink at the pop-up gin bar while you were here? 😉 I did!
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We have winter thunderstorms here and they can be destructive but at least, they don’t last long. Great photos!
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Imagine if they went on for days! How awful. 😦
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We had a rain storm here, not a thunderstorm, that lasted for days last fall. Many lost their homes and businesses. Some folks lost their lives! The county is still a mess in some places. It has been awful!
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Now I can enjoy a little “summer” through your blog while we are in the winter months. Great post, thanks for joining along.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked the post.
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Loved your January story! The rainstorm photos remind me very much of Johannesburg where you could practically set your watch by the afternoon storms – until the drought years came along 😦
As for running in the rain I always find that you just end up splashing your legs more! [says she who doesn’t run anywhere these days, not even for a bus]
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Good point about splashing your legs! I think a chauffeur-driven car is probably the best solution. 😉
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