Well the last of the Australian winter spread its frosty breath across the Hunter as August gave way to September and winter drifted back into our memories for another year.
Actually there was nothing remarkable about the 2012 winter, it wasn't exceptionally cold, no unseasonable warmth, we didn't get any miserable August wind storms, neither were we slammed by continual East Coast Lows (although we did get hit by a couple of these nasty weather events) and so winter in the Hunter just petered out to Spring. Overall, according to the Bureau of Meterology, Australia had an extremely average winter, with temperatures close to normal and rainfall just a bit below the average, like I said ... nothing remarkable.
One thing I was able to this year is photograph more Rugby League. This was due to a change in the national competition where the local team, the Newcastle Knights, decided to enter a Reserve Grade side in the NSW Cup and so I was able to brush up my sports photography.
Personally, one of the saddest aspects of Winter 2012 is that due to a change to my work structure, I won't be spending as much time in the Hunter vineyards, so my ability to get out and photograph the continual changing scenery in and around the vineyards will be curtailed in the short term. I will still be able to visit the Polkolbin and Lovedale area, however my time will be limited to the weekends, not during the week, as I was able to do in the past. Although the disappointing, the changes at work does open up more opportunites to photograph some different aspects of the Hunter region that I may have missed out on in the past, so change may end up being a good thing!
So as winter slipped away into Spring the changing seasons has already bought the warmer weather and so it won't be long till we are complaining about the heat, the drought and uncomfortable nights lulled to sleep by the 'swish-swish' of the ceiling fans.
Maybe we will look back on winter 2012 with a fondness in January!
