It’s days like these that you begin to appreciate why some people go and spend thousands installing and running home airconditioning. Yikes. I suppose we should be grateful it didn’t quite reach the forecast 43°, but stopped short on a mere 42.4°C (108.3°F) instead.

I spent some time today listening to the bushfire updates on 774. It also makes me grateful I live in an urban area, where the risk of things like burning embers is minimal, and the worst I faced today was excess sweat.

By the way, I think they’ve fouled up the Nylex sign renovation. It’s very hard to read now. Admittedly not quite as bad as this picture suggests, but what is almost impossible to read in a picture (it says 41° by the way, taken this afternoon) is very difficult to read in person.

(Compare: May 2004)

PS. A trip into the city in a nice airconditioned train and a walk around Melbourne Central seemed like a good way to escape the heat. The plan went to pieces on the way home when the trains were messed up, leaving us waiting for 15 minutes at Flinders Street in the heat, and when a working train turned up, it was one of only 6 non-aircon Hitachi trains left. Opening every window can only help so much.