Is it really a thing?

I woke my 15-year-old at 7.15am yesterday and told them it was going to be a wild ride to school.

It was 7C, the wind was ferocious and the rain had been pelting down all night.

The 15-year-old asked if they could have the day off school, due to the rain and all. I said no. They said lots of their fellow students didn’t go to school when it was raining.

Is that really a thing?

If it is, do they get the day off because rain is such a novelty event in Sydney or because parents are such pushovers in 2019.

The eldest has been off school A LOT lately, so I told them to get dressed and I’d drive them to the bus stop as a special treat.

They were very surly about being forced out into the cold, wet morning.

I offered them a raincoat. Their lip curled with distaste. I offered them a plastic rain poncho. Their lip curled with distaste. I offered them an umbrella. Their lip curled with distaste.

I suggested they pack a second hoodie in case the first one got drenched and … you can guess their response.

So I gave up, dropped them to the bus stop and sped off with a cheery wave.

Bloody teenagers and their strict adherence to being cold but cool.

Soon after dropping the eldest to the bus stop, the youngest turned up on my doorstep in shirt sleeves and bare legs. They refused to wear a jumper or stockings and did a lot of lip curling when I suggested covering up.

Again I’m blaming fashion, though the youngest does appear to be allergic to her ugly, woollen jumper. I must try and sort out a solution to that … add it to the list.

Can you believe the weather? It was snowing in the Blue Mountains yesterday. It was even snowing in Queensland! Ermagerd.

Toowoomba hit -5C at 6am. Brrrr. In the Blue Mountains it dropped to -8C. Double brrrrr.

I was swimming in the ocean two weeks ago on balmy 26C days …

I ventured out of the office into cyclonic conditions at lunchtime to see my old friend Neil. As the weird smallness of the world goes, he went to uni with DD.

That means DD was obliviously wandering the halls of Sydney Uni with Neil by day, while I was obliviously partying with him at night. And the twain never did met. Freaky.

DD was very jealous that Neil and I were having Vietnamese.

DD loves Vietnamese.

He had to make do with some fancy schmancy conference farewell dinner in Chicago, where he indulged his love of Oregon reds … as opposed to his love of the Sydney one … before visiting a duelling piano bar.

As you do.

Today he begins his long journey home. As I was going to sleep last night, he was cabbing to a final early morning meeting, with a driver who appeared to be wearing a wedding dress.