On the First Day of Winter …

It’s the first day of winter, and what a special one Melbourne gave us – freezing cold and rain! Although we had some sunshine too, which was deceptive at lunchtime: stepped outdoors and was blasted by the icy arctic wind.

Petra, in Jordan, the subject of this month’s calendar illustration, is also called the Rose City, due to the colour of the stone from which its architecture is carved. The buildings are carved right out of the rock. It is a place out of fantasy that I would love to see; one of my friends visited there in the last year and she was awestruck.

I love history, and ancient history in particular, and that part of the world is steeped in it. I have visited a few of the Arab Emirates, and also Oman, but I kept mainly to the cities and did not experience anything similar to Petra, or to the pyramids of Egypt, where I like to imagine one could feel the weight of years in spite of tourist hordes. I do love the food of that region though – Middle-Eastern is one of my favourite cuisines.

Hot, or cold, happy June dear Snapettes!