This week certainly gave us a taste of what’s to come with the mercury plummeting early in the week. Wind, rain and plenty of swell for a few days was a welcome relief for the surfers in the area, but the accompanying chill was not so welcoming for everyone.

The Reserve bank also sent a chill through many this week with the first interest rate rise since November 2010. All four of the major banks passed on the rate increase and its likely there will be a number of rate rises this year. I was amused when I watched the nightly news bulletins on TV declaring ‘rate shock’, when it had been forecast by most experts anyway. The last time the RBA moved interest rates during a federal election campaign was in 2007, when Opposition leader Kevin Rudd was contesting the incumbent Prime Minister, John Howard.