I just had an email from a friend who works at a news service, with the subject line: it is 45.1 frickin degrees. (Looking for Fahrenheit? Try: it is 113.1 frickin degrees.) It is meant to continue...

It is hot, dry and blustery today—42°C/107°F, with the scent of bushfire on the air. It is making me nutsy. (Chlorine overload from a long day at the pool probably isn't helping.) Fortunately my craft...