That's probably due to the constant bloody rain here. I really don't care when Summer 'officially' begins. Once the weather is dry, I don't mind what season it is I don't mind the cold - it's the flipping everlasting grey sky and rain that depresses me

I know the sneering classes like to sneer at this but the weather is one of the reasons I left. I was tired of having years in which summer didn't happen. Being able to remember which years we had good summers is not a great sign

And having spent years living in South Australia experiencing severe drought after drought,and looking skyward praying for rain,is not a great sign either.I was in SA last May,which is autumn and it looked like a nuclear war zone.Not pretty!

It's a good job that Victoria is not in SA and that Australian is a country the size of a continent

I actually knocked SA off our possible destination list as it looked too dry.

Well you'll be pleased to know that we had the wettest winter in 100 odd years so there was no drought this summer - they relaxed the water restrictions. Looking a bit crispy now at the end of the summer but we had a whole night of rain last night so things will hopefully green up. Weather tends to be cyclical so hopefully it will be another 10 years of wet winters. Apparently the drought years were unusual in that the cycle lasted for longer than historically it had before.

It would have to be Melbourne...

Cornwall is just to dangerous. I was bitten by a poisonous snake there once....

I think all the folks who roll out the "we are doing it for the kids" line and the "weather has nothing to do with it" are either trying to kid us or are kidding themselves.... of course the weather is a major influence on why people come.

If Sydney had weather like Siberia you can be certain that I wouldn't bloody be here.

Can you imagine the outcry if I gave tax as another reason for coming?

I always find it amusing when British people knock a system that actually makes sense - having summer from Dec - Feb, and the reverse in the northern hemisphere and so dividing the year into sensibly arranged 4.

Doesn't the equinox often mark summer too, which might be related to the adoption of DST at least.
The spring equinox or thereabouts is not a good time to start summer in my opinion. It's a point when days and nights are equal so is naturally a point between extreme seasons and by definition the intermediate season spring but I suppose it indicates that summer is closer rather than further away.

I'll get my coat...