It rained two days ago. The ambient temperature plummeted to 15ºC. The dog was found shivering in our bedroom, whining from the thunderous sound of rain falling on the roof. I didn’t have to water my plants. There were puddles of dirty water on every street corner. On the basis of these meteorological phenomena, one could say winter had arrived in the desert that is LaLaLand.

Further proof that winter was truly upon us was the sighting of woolen overcoats, hats and scarves on campus. Soft sassenachs…

And if you were in any doubt that winter had finally arrived, such hesitation would be instantly dispelled by the icicles hanging off most house roofs. Hold on. Icicles? In Southern California? Nah, just these¹.

It’s sad that “winter” is here without first going through autumn. The foliage outside our front door is still green. The tomatoes are continuing to flourish. And the azaleas have gone mental and produced several weeks worth of flowers.

Ah well. Back to summer next week with temperatures in the mid-20s.

¹ While I can just about stand “white” icicles on every house in the desert, it’s the multi-coloured monstrosities that make me gag. Is there even such a thing as tasteful multi-coloured christmas lights? Euch.