Actually, I only detest the Queensland climate for three months of the year - height of summer.
The rest of the time it's paradise - long sunny days, even though the winter at the moment is chilly.
Ditto for me and Sydney, Malc. It's the humidity I can't stand - don't think I could live in Queensland, certainly not as far up as Townsville. Been there in the winter and that was bad enough.
We have a larger range of "getting dark" times. Earliest would be about 5.30pm in the winter and latest about 8pm in summer. I found it very strange last time I came to Scotland and was staying down at the family home in South West Scotland. It was May and even then it stayed light till about 9.30pm. I had been coming over in winter before that because of the kids' school holidays. My sister was complaining last night as we drove home that it was dark at 9.30pm. My remark that it would soon be dark at 4pm didn't cheer her up much.
Sydney's weather is certainly not paradise compared to Queensland - we get our fair share of miserable wet days - when we're not in drought. Also some pretty spectacular storms, especially in summer. Spring and Autumn are the best - warm sunny days where the temperature reaches the mid 20s. I hate to say it, but if I ever got homesick when I first went to Oz, I would think of crossing the Meadows in Edinburgh with the East wind driving the rain horizontally right through me and that soon got rid of it!
What's a pavement? We live in a semi rural area, so can't expect one, but even when we lived in an ordinary Sydney suburb, we didn't have a pavement on our street - really the only ones were on main roads. We do have a kerb though - only because it's a relatively newly developed street.
This rain is cramping my style, too, Roger. Wanted to go for my walk this morning, but it was p...ing down so decided to wait to see if it goes off later - live in hope. Mustn't complain though, I know how lucky I've been - the better weather seems to have followed me around up till now.
Have to go and talk to my old man on Skype now. No doubt he'll gloat at me about the weather - looks like it's clear and about 18 degrees at the moment. Just right for him to be out digging the garden.