It's a heatwave (Mornington Peninsula)

And thanks to Linda Rondstadt from 1976 for that reference, although there were plenty of others from which to choose.

Assuming the forecasters were correct, I decided to hit the road early this morning so that Jayne and I could walk before the heat. I was on my bike by 5:45am and did a 30km loop toward Dromana and then back home to Mornington. That meant we were walking by 7:30am.

As usual we finished the walk at Biscottini where I had breakfast and Jayne had a coffee. We discovered it all too late last year, so I was happy to renew acquaintances this time around. They have great coffee which is where I always begin - it is the deal breaker. The clincher is fresh orange juice - the whipped kind. Yum! And their fruit toast, sourdough and homemade muffins are also noteworthy. We haven't been anywhere else for breakfast this week and it is unlikely that we will stray.

Back home to the mundane chore of washing my bike gear and some clothes. Given the rising temperatures they were always going to dry quickly. By 10:30, the imitation timber balcony was too hot to walk on in bare feet. Planning ahead, we meandered up to the bottleshop to purchase a couple of bottles of local wine. To this we added some fresh tomato, ham and gruyere cheese form the deli downstairs. This is dinner, French style, with a baguette for the 5th generation baker in Main Street. I haven't had anything even coming close to a French baguette outside of France, so tonight's experiment will be interesting.

As the temperature climbed it became apparent that people watching form the balcony would not be advisable until later afternoon, so we headed to the teeming beachside haunt of the rich and famous - Sorrento. If ever you felt lonely or isolated and wanted to feel overwhelmed by a seething, sweating population of scanitly clad holiday makers, then Sorrento is for you. If you are lucky enough to jag a table at an outdoor eatery on the main strip, sit back and enjoy. Good taste and libel laws preclude from describing too many of the 'sights' today, but 'guess that gender' proved popular, particularly now that tattoos, bad hair cuts, shorts and T-shirts have become unisex. A most fascinating hour or so.

Time for some shopping for obligatory presents we seem to need to take home. A productive time. we just have the grandchildren to buy for now.

By 3pm as we were heading back to the quiet and solitude of Mornington, the temperature hit 40 degress. It is still too hot to sit on the balcony at present, but I'm sure that is temporary. In the meantime, it's book time. I'm reading last year's Miles Frankiln award winner, Questions of Travel by Michelle de Krester. I was determined not to like it, but she writes so beautifully. It is well worth a read.

Hot, hot hot ... yes, this came form the net.

And so we wait for the heat to subside, reading and watching the tennis ... C'MON! According to the app on my phone, it was 42º at 4pm and it eventually maxed out at 43º. This kept our people watching indoors and restricted to Lleyton and other blokes in shorts and caps.

Food update: The French bread stick we purchased at Frank's Bakery in Main Street was the best thing I've had since France! The bread, coupled with Swiss Gruyere cheese from DOC as well as Adelaide tomatoes and local ham was ... the best. It was just like dinner after a day's sight seeing in Paris. Seriously, I've tried bread with the tags, 'French' 'baguette' and I'd given up. It has been a source of amazement to me that we can't do bread like they do in France. I still don't get it. And now, in Mornington, I find what I've been looking for ... I wonder if he'll take me on as an apprentice? Not to make light of the expertise of the baker, he is 5th generation, obviously the old skills are still there, we just need to find them amongst the fast-everything generation.

oh la la

The conundrum: We hadn't actually discussed it, but we had commenced discussions about where we might holiday next year in January prior to work recommencing. It's not that we don't enjoy it in Mornington, it's more a case of, well, we've done that for two years, where might we explore. But ... Mornington has a lot to offer. It's quiet, despite the crowds further south. The roads are great for cycling. There are plenty of good cafes and restaurants. Tourist attractions abound, including the wineries. There are other reasonably local attractions too, like the sand sculptures at Frankston. (OK<,we haven't been to those. I didn't want my car stolen). And then there is Frank's bakery and the DOC deli. Wow. January 2015 is still undecided. Maybe one more visit to Mornington.

It is 7:30pm as I write this and my temperature app still has it at 40º+ outside. Tomorrow's plans are up in the air. If I ride I'll need to leave at 5:30am so we can be walking by 7am. At least I'm not playing tennis in this heat. Glad not to be Bernard Tomic. Go Rafa!

Until tomorrow ... unless we melt before then ...