Oooh, I'd like to know more about that ... it sounds so poetic!

Most likely the moon, Venus and Jupiter in a line, depending on how the Koori saw them, and which I have seen a few times over the years, in early evening. But they might also mean Mars, Jupiter and Venus in a line, since these three are the most visible. If you go camping up country, well away from city lights, you might also see Saturn relatively easily. And at least once, years ago, I did see Mercury briefly in a line with Venus above it, just after sun down behind the mountains.

Wagga, I'd be one of those whining that 80F is too hot. 50F/10C is much nicer!

50F/10C at 6.00 am in winter would be middlingly warm for winter, with less frost. But by 12.00 pm 50F/10C would be a definitely chilly midwinter's day in Sydney. Even alongside Sydney Harbour, temperatures vary quite a lot from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm. It can be stingingly icy weather, lower than 0C at 6.00 am of a morning and by lunch time it will be every bit as balmily pleasant as the South Seas are supposed to be with temperatures up to 19-22C. Depending on whether there has been snow in the mountains and a cold wind, some days are quite warm in a nice sheltered sunny spot, but horribly cold elsewhere. What I call deep-fried ice-cream weather. In Tasmania they say you can have four seasons in the one day, and it is definitely a good place to chill out.

Haha it is my mums old car so both the aircon and the car work fine.

I did go to the Uk n the summer, I found the temperature to be nice. Like I wasn't dying of heatstroke or cold. Though I think the locals thought it was hot.

In all fairness I've been to London when the summer truly was warm - warm enough in Trafalgar Square for someone standing on a plinth outside the National Art Gallery, wearing nothing but a couple of strategic dustbin lids, all in the name of art. . But when I first went to UK, in 1997, it was colder than when I left Australia, in admittedly a rather mild winter.

Good idea to use your mum's old car. You probably learned to drive on it, so you'd know what the previous owner did to it. My youngest daughter drove her dad's old car until she could buy her own car.

Yeah I did and I have bought it off her, since she has decided that she wants a new car. I have had enough of taking buses all over the place. Also I won't miss the annoying people on public transport who hold up the whole bus ride or cause fights with the driver or have terrible body odour.

Tasmania yes you can have 4 seasons in one day, the summers I have spent back their since leaving when I was 7 had very unpredictable weather. One second it would be hot and than the next rainy and windy. The summers are much milder than most of the mainland and it isn't humid.

Interesting about the 3 planets, wagga. I suspected it must be a general reference to planets lining up since there are many possibilities and the planets are in constant motion. Venus and Jupiter are certainly the prime suspects since they are almost always bright and their motion is fairly easy to track. Mars, especially when at its brightest during its every-other-year opposition seasons, would also be prominent.

Similar to having 4 seasons in one day is the line in many parts of the US is "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes" (and it will change), or having to turn on the heat at night and the AC by day.

50F/10C at 6.00 am in winter would be middlingly warm for winter, with less frost. But by 12.00 pm 50F/10C would be a definitely chilly midwinter's day in Sydney.

10C at any time during midwinter here would be, or challenge, record-high temperatures. People would be discussing climate change or be out in shirt sleeves, or frustrated that their winter hobbies (like skiing, skating, or snowshoeing) were in jeopardy.

Tropical Storm Erika is crossing Caribbean islands as we speak, flooding many areas and leaving them without power or clean water. It will likely move across Florida this weekend. It will even affect areas far away from the coast, as it's expected to slow the usual west-to-east movement of weather systems, allowing heat to continue to build here in the Midwest. Next week will be much warmer than average, with most days approaching 90F/32C.

That sure is a beauty of a lightning photo, stargazer!

@Jo i think it was 25C here today aswell, same temperature but in opposite seasons.

Hey, cool! As long as there is no humidity, 25°C is okay, although I prefer the air about 10°-20° cooler.

Ahh, interesting, wagga, thanks. And for your thoughts too, 'gazer.

Next week will be much warmer than average, with most days approaching 90F/32C.

Yep, likewise. Last week was beautifully refreshing—almost autumn-like with cool days and cooler nights (great for walking!), but this week abundant humidity returns. In later August, we may get a couple of days here and there with high humidity, but not usually at a week's stretch. This year seems to be an exception, though, and I eagerly anticipate when this passes. Some rain may come on Wednesday, with more on Thursday, but apparently that will do little to dispel this heat wave. I think it's finally supposed to pack up and leave early next week. Trying to hang in there ...

After being a very pleasant July and August (relatively speaking of course), Summer has decided it's not over yet and we're getting another blast of heat. Highs in the mid 90Fs all week this week.

Summer refuses to depart here as well, though some insist that temps around 90F are simply "State Fair weather" (glad I went last week when it was cooler!).

It will only be around 90F here but the humidity is a bit much with dewpoints approaching 75F/24C. We shouldn't be having "air you can wear" this late in the season.

Big storms this weekend will signal the passage of a cold front that will bring more seasonal temperatures by Monday...can't wait, except that I might be weathering those storms in my tent.

Summer's hanging on for dear life here too. We have a terribly hot and humid week, with the heat index being up near 40C/104F. We are in the midst of a severe thunderstorm watch now, and it's dark and rainy (still, not nearly enough rain, though), but this will do nothing to dispel this heat wave. Not until mid next-week, from all indications, do they expect it to leave. That's an awfully long hot spell for this time of year in southern Ontario. And the nights remain humid. Hurrah for A/C!

Sounds like everyone is sweating this week out. It's on days like this one just feels the urge to wade into a nice cool marsh, and sink up to the neck. Listening to the flies buzz overhead can be quite peaceful.
The weather people have been predicting the storms to hit sometime on Sunday. The following Monday is supposed to be some ten to fifteen degrees cooler.
We are currently watching a collage football game, Minnesota Gophers vs Texas Christian University, and the temp on the field is 82F. The cameras are showing big fans blowing water vapor on the players sitting on the benches.

I was watching that same game, Puddleglum. Normally, 82F on the field is not terribly unusual (those guys from TCU probably feel right at home!), but it's 82F in September in Minnesota a couple hours after sunset. Not to mention the soupy air (dew points were approaching 80F today, which qualifies as tropical-level moisture). Yuck! I can't wait until next week when it's expected to be much more comfortable.

A nice cool marsh ... ah yes, friend Wiggle. Or a comfy, cool hobbit hole in a hill.

Soupy is indeed the word, stargazer. It's like an oven out there. The only saving grace is that the breeze is stiff, so at least it's not stagnant air. And it's sure a great drying-clothes-on-the-line day. Can't imagine how you're making out camping this weekend, though, 'gazer.

Apparently a day or so ago nearly passed the record for that date in 1945. Back then it was 31.7C/89F; the other day here it 'only' reached 31.1C/88F. And that's not including the heat index, which is close to 40C/104F these days. We have not had a oven-like Labour Day weekend in decades. This is really something for way up here in the wild northlands, folks.

Some thundershowers could come tomorrow, but this oppressive heat won't let up until Wednesday evening, and then ... much, much more comfy air arrives. Counting the days!

Nope, no thundershowers last Sunday, but, boy, did we get them early this morning. Beautiful. Torrential at times. But the heat and humidity are still with us. However, that oppressive air mass is supposed to leave us tomorrow during the day as more thunderstorms are expected, ushering in beautiful, cooler weather—great for walking in the earlier morning and evening hours again. I know I've said this before, but I can't recall another year in recent memory where we have had this long a heat wave in late August/early September. (It began about 2 weeks ago.) Sure, it's common to have a day here or there, but nothing like this; this has been July weather, totally. Glad it's leaving. Hope is on its way!

Like jo, I can't wait for this heat and humidity to pass.

Minnesotans are often heard to say "It's cooler by the lake." To be sure, this can be true of any body of water, but many times what is meant here is the lake - Superior.

In summer it is not unusual for locations along Superior's North Shore to be 30 or even 45F (17-25C) cooler than the Twin Cities at the same time. No wonder everyone drives up there!

But this isn't always true, and this past weekend was an example. It was extremely humid and hot most of the time, even on the very shore of the lake. At one point I was freezing my toes in the water (temperature 40F/4C) and sweating everywhere else at the same time.

Saturday night had some of the most spectacular lightning I've ever seen, along with over 2.5 inches (65mm) of rain. The next day Gooseberry Falls was thundering at a level I haven't seen since the floods of 1999. Spectacular! That day was also hot and humid with another line of thunderstorms that evening - but it quickly moved through to reveal a glorious starry sky.

Back here in the Twin Cities, it's expected to get down to 55F/12C tonight, which will be so refreshing after the sauna of the past week!

Be grateful for the sauna, hard as it may be, Stargazer. I'd prefer to be where you are than in California, with those horrific fires, a bad omen for this year's looming summer. Though I agree that wet heat is less bearable than even hotter but drier temperatures, at least you are in no danger of water restrictions just yet. A good breeze though helps enormously. So does a storm at the end of summer.

Meanwhile, Down Under, the record cold temperatures have come down to summer heat. 11C in the morning gives rise to 30C by lunch. Until the wind changed, I've spent all morning trying to evict bees out of our family room, where they have been getting through an old, disused, air conditioning unit, into the house.

You're right, wagga...a little humidity is a lot better than the drought of the western US or that Down Under in recent years.

The last few days of summer have been very nice here, with temperatures running about 10F/3C over average (our average high has slipped below 70F/21C for the next 8 months). So I enjoyed a nice cookout today in advance of heavy rain (anywhere from 2-5 inches/50-260mm) expected tomorrow.

Signs of autumn are all over...some trees are changing colors while others are fading from that vivid green of summer in anticipation of a great fall color season this year (they say the conditions are excellent this year).

Sounds like an amazing lightning show, stargazer!

Oh my, wagga, I hope those bees are not living in your home anymore, yikes. And happy Spring to you!

Yes, signs of this fall are everywhere here. And happy Autumn to the northern hemisphere! The squirrels are gathering nuts and fattening up (so much so that I sometimes wonder how they can run ); the tips of some trees are blushing with colour (barely beginning); the farmers are starting to harvest the corn; the days are comfortably warm and the nights gloriously cool. Love this time of year! Walking outside after dark and looking up at the sky and the milky way in such refreshing temperatures is The Best!

Temperatures are a bit above normal today, then dropping a few degrees (to 21C/70F) for the next week or so. Night times are hovering around the single digits (C ), which is grrreat to walk in! We will be going without any precipitation for the next week-plus. In fact, we may not get any significant rain until the first weekend of October.