Post by wheelspinner on Feb 7, 2009 16:23:24 GMT -5
Last Thursday was my wife's 50th birthday. So yesterday we had a party with about 40 people coming round to our place for a lunchtime party.
Man can we pick a day for a party ...
Sizzle to splash: how we endured our hottest day
Tom Reilly and Annie Lawson
February 8, 2009
THE adage says that if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, but if you are head chef at one of Melbourne's most popular restaurants, you don't have that option — even when the city is sweltering through its hottest day on record.
"Luckily for me, I'm happier the hotter it gets," said Sara-Jane Quadara, standing over a sizzling pan of Italian sausages at Southbank's Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons.
For thousands of Melburnians like Ms Quadara it was business as usual yesterday, even as the temperature soared to a record 46.4 degrees (that's 115F).
On St Kilda Road, firefighter Mick Gillies ripped off his flame- retardant balaclava as he trudged out of an office block following a false alarm. Mopping his brow and shielding his eyes from the fierce lunchtime sun, he gestured towards his uniform — a heavy jacket and triple-layered pants — and joked, "It's getting quite warm under here."
But despite being drenched in sweat, Mr Gillies wasn't complaining.
"The guys who are out tackling the bushfires out in the country are almost certainly going to be doing it far tougher," he said.
As the sun beat down relentlessly throughout the afternoon, Melbourne's parks and green spaces — usually so popular on Saturdays — were deserted.
Not even a lone jogger braved the Tan running path at the Botanic Gardens, where dead leaves blowing along the dusty track were the only sign of movement seen by The Sunday Age.
As Melburnians sought to escape the heat by retreating to shopping centres, pools and cinemas, sports events and training clinics were called off.
At Albert Park, tennis courts were empty as matches and lessons were cancelled.
For gardener Brian Harrison, there was no escape. With the Grand Prix looming, he was doing his best to ensure visitors to next month's race don't meet a dustbowl. "I'm basically pumping water from the lake onto the places which need to look green," Mr Harrison said.
Other workers battling on without air-conditioning were car washers Sunny Chhabra and Mohammed Ahmad.
Sunny, 25, did his best to live up to his name, despite the uncomfortable temperatures.
"I've been drinking lots of water — maybe 10 litres already — so it's not so bad," he said after helping spruce up about 20 cars at a hand car-wash business on Inkerman Street, St Kilda.
Lifeguards at South Melbourne were slightly luckier. While one shift patrolled the water's edge another relaxed in the air-conditioned clubhouse.
"We're doing half-hour shifts out on the beach and then getting back into the clubhouse to take on some fluids," Damian Kininmonth said.
Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h ensured the streets were all but deserted for the St Kilda Festival, with the event's spokeswoman, Asha Holmes, describing the atmosphere as "post-apocalyptic".
A BMX demonstration was cancelled but indoor events went ahead.
www.theage.com.au/national/sizzle-to-splash-how-we-endured-our-hottest-day-20090207-80ft.html?page=-1
Despite the most horrible day in memory, we still managed to have a great party. We fired up the aircon at about 6 am to give it a chance to keep the place cool, and supplemented it with fans at strategic places. Lots of iced water and soft drinks to keep the kids hydrated. The cold beers seemed to disappear pretty quick too.
Man can we pick a day for a party ...
Sizzle to splash: how we endured our hottest day
Tom Reilly and Annie Lawson
February 8, 2009
THE adage says that if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, but if you are head chef at one of Melbourne's most popular restaurants, you don't have that option — even when the city is sweltering through its hottest day on record.
"Luckily for me, I'm happier the hotter it gets," said Sara-Jane Quadara, standing over a sizzling pan of Italian sausages at Southbank's Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons.
For thousands of Melburnians like Ms Quadara it was business as usual yesterday, even as the temperature soared to a record 46.4 degrees (that's 115F).
On St Kilda Road, firefighter Mick Gillies ripped off his flame- retardant balaclava as he trudged out of an office block following a false alarm. Mopping his brow and shielding his eyes from the fierce lunchtime sun, he gestured towards his uniform — a heavy jacket and triple-layered pants — and joked, "It's getting quite warm under here."
But despite being drenched in sweat, Mr Gillies wasn't complaining.
"The guys who are out tackling the bushfires out in the country are almost certainly going to be doing it far tougher," he said.
As the sun beat down relentlessly throughout the afternoon, Melbourne's parks and green spaces — usually so popular on Saturdays — were deserted.
Not even a lone jogger braved the Tan running path at the Botanic Gardens, where dead leaves blowing along the dusty track were the only sign of movement seen by The Sunday Age.
As Melburnians sought to escape the heat by retreating to shopping centres, pools and cinemas, sports events and training clinics were called off.
At Albert Park, tennis courts were empty as matches and lessons were cancelled.
For gardener Brian Harrison, there was no escape. With the Grand Prix looming, he was doing his best to ensure visitors to next month's race don't meet a dustbowl. "I'm basically pumping water from the lake onto the places which need to look green," Mr Harrison said.
Other workers battling on without air-conditioning were car washers Sunny Chhabra and Mohammed Ahmad.
Sunny, 25, did his best to live up to his name, despite the uncomfortable temperatures.
"I've been drinking lots of water — maybe 10 litres already — so it's not so bad," he said after helping spruce up about 20 cars at a hand car-wash business on Inkerman Street, St Kilda.
Lifeguards at South Melbourne were slightly luckier. While one shift patrolled the water's edge another relaxed in the air-conditioned clubhouse.
"We're doing half-hour shifts out on the beach and then getting back into the clubhouse to take on some fluids," Damian Kininmonth said.
Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h ensured the streets were all but deserted for the St Kilda Festival, with the event's spokeswoman, Asha Holmes, describing the atmosphere as "post-apocalyptic".
A BMX demonstration was cancelled but indoor events went ahead.
www.theage.com.au/national/sizzle-to-splash-how-we-endured-our-hottest-day-20090207-80ft.html?page=-1
Despite the most horrible day in memory, we still managed to have a great party. We fired up the aircon at about 6 am to give it a chance to keep the place cool, and supplemented it with fans at strategic places. Lots of iced water and soft drinks to keep the kids hydrated. The cold beers seemed to disappear pretty quick too.
