Krasnoyarsk is located at 56° north of the equator (56°1′N, 93°4′E). This is quite far north, when you consider that Saskatoon is at 52°N (52°07′54″N 106°39′09″W). Melbourne is located only 37 degrees from the equator.
This can make for some striking differences in climate. Yes, Siberia does have a reputation for being very cold. And yes, when you compare it to Melbourne it is certainly cold. Where Siberia gets a bad rap, is that most people don't realise that we have Summer as well.
Winter can be hard for an Aussie to deal with. Last Winter really wasn't too bad though. We only had a handful of days below -20. This Winter has been even more mild. Approaching the end of December, we have not even had a single day time temperature as low as -20. Most days have been -10 or warmer. I don't dispute that climate change is happening (the causes are another question for me- and the oil companies must surely take the brunt of the responsibility), but if future Winters in Siberia are more bearable as a result, I for one will not complain too loudly (I'm waiting for someone experiencing drought in Australia to get mad with me for saying that).
Tomorrow is the Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The days need to get longer. For me this is the hardest part about Winter. I was walking home today, mid afternoon, when I noticed the sun setting. The sunset photo above was taken at 3:45 pm. Dusk was of course slow, but it was pitch black before 5 pm today.
The total hours of sunlight for the shortest day of the year are 6:57 for Krasnoyarsk, 7:43 for Saskatoon and 9:32 in Melbourne. I find it so hard starting my day in the dark. Even in the middle of Winter in Melbourne it is light by 7:30am. At least we don't live in the Arctic, that would be so depressing.
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Manchester is located at 53 degrees 30 North which is not as much as Krasnoyarsk, but still closer than Melbourne. Makes you realise how strong the Gulf stream is here as we rarely get snow and certainly not heaps and heaps of it like you do in K (you can see it piling up on the roof of those unused cars)
And hello to Lisette by the way. Did you have a baby recently? I think I heard that on a grapevine somewhere. We are down in Dorset at the moment, in a little village (houses with thatched roofs) getting ready for all the Christmas and family celebrations. Will certainly be cold enough for a roast dinner although the oven is certainly not big enough for one of those frozen pigs!
Happy Christmas to all...and thanks again for all the photos of daily life in K.
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