I wonder what the first meaningful conversation was about?

Was it about food, or was it about the weather?

Given that people who meet for the first time OFTEN start a conversation by talking about the weather, I think that this could be a very deep-seated cultural artifact from human history and that the first conversation was, indeed, about the weather.

Having got that off my mind, I'd like to record that quite un-usual weather has been experienced in my city just moments ago. We had snow! It was mid-afternoon, and there was enough to settle - for a few moments - on cars and in crevices among the rocks. And, this is barely winter, although the ski season in the alps is 2 months along its normal course through until early October.

Now, Canberra has had some quite notable occasions of snow in recent years:

- In May 2000, Canberra had a major snow fall as a major cold snap swept across south-east Australia, producing wide spread snowfalls that provided the best start to the ski season in ten years. As the snow fell, the local National Rugby League team, the Canberra Raiders hosted the Wests Tigers at Canberra Stadium: Snow fell in a match, the first such event in over 90 years of the competition. The playing surface was mounded in snow, and the players were tackling and sliding a LONG way!

- Twice during the 1990s, during the height of quite hot Australian summers, I recall that snow fell in Canberra on Christmas Day!

So, what is your weather like?

Of course, weather has also just cost NASA quite a lot for a plane ride for the Space Shuttle.

_____
Peter