You lucky Aussies

Katybug

Katybug

Senior Member
Location
Charlotte, NC
.....getting ready for summer as autumn is around the corner for us. I know summers are gawdawful hot, especially in Australia, but give me that any day over the boring and chilly winter. I feel silly complaining as our winters in the south are mild compared to other areas, but I hibernate anyway. I can deal w/heat far better than cold, tho I haven't needed to wear a coat in a couple years. It's still too cold for me. In the summer I just float from one air conditioned place to another, and I especially love that there is so much going on during 3 of our seasons and then when winter arrives it's as if everyone hibernates. So I envy your upcoming season...
 
I love the the opposite to you Katy, i prefer the cold to the heat nothing better than snuggling in a warm bed in the middle of winter, we are 2 days away from Spring and after that the horrible heat and humidity which knocks me around, i moved here 5 years ago from a state than was dry heat and very cold winters and hot summers but we had ducted air con so managed to keep cool, can't have that here
 
That's kind of funny Jilly, I moved up here for the very thing you hate about it.
I didn't even bother installing air-con in this house, don't need it, I only used it where I lived before when it went over 40c.
Sometimes wish I'd thought of it for the winter though. But even that's been very mild this year.

I prefer the summer too Katy, hot as it likes. Even the humidity doesn't bother me greatly.
I hate the cold. Anything under 30c.-85f. is 'freezing' to me. Jill and I about 30 mins apart and you'd think we were talking about totally different climates sometimes.
Can't wait for those hot summer evenings, they are as near to heaven as I'm likely to get.
 
I'm not a big fan of the heat, spring and fall are my favorite seasons. I don't mind winter, at least I can dress appropriately and keep warm. In summer, even if you strip down naked, you're still hot. It's been hot and sunny here, mid to upper 90sF, and I can't wait to leave Tuesday on our camping trip closer to the mountains, where we can enjoy some cooool. :happy:
 
I care neither for heat nor cold (what a wimp). In winter, I do enjoy the rain and the energy of big storms . . . that, of course, bring big, big waves. But, it's still summer for a few more weeks here and am looking forward to the change of season into fall no matter how subtle. Shadows are growing longer. Sun setting earlier. Rain may or may not come (it better . . . no more drought, please). Leaves turn and the tourists split.
 
That Guy said:
I care neither for heat nor cold (what a wimp). In winter, I do enjoy the rain and the energy of big storms . . . that, of course, bring big, big waves. But, it's still summer for a few more weeks here and am looking forward to the change of season into fall no matter how subtle. Shadows are growing longer. Sun setting earlier. Rain may or may not come (it better . . . no more drought, please). Leaves turn and the tourists split.
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With you on the big storms, and big seas, love watching them. Not with the fall though, I get really down when the days start to shorten, I'm always a misery guts through the autumn, then straight out cranky all winter.
 
Diwundrin said:
With you on the big storms, and big seas, love watching them. Not with the fall though, I get really down when the days start to shorten, I'm always a misery guts through the autumn, then straight out cranky all winter.
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Have actually seen cars get "barreled" when huge waves smack the cliff and break over the road! Very entertaining . . .

Yeah, the gradual moving into fall is a major adjustment. I try to just roll with it. One nice thing in the fall is smelling wood smoke from fireplaces while in the water . . . good indication of a nice offshore breeze...
 
Jillaroo said:
I love the the opposite to you Katy, i prefer the cold to the heat nothing better than snuggling in a warm bed in the middle of winter, we are 2 days away from Spring and after that the horrible heat and humidity which knocks me around, i moved here 5 years ago from a state than was dry heat and very cold winters and hot summers but we had ducted air con so managed to keep cool, can't have that here
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If I didn't have central air conditioning, Jill, it would be an entirely different thing, I would be miserable. When it goes out in our building, you can't get comfortable no matter what you do. I just leave and go to a family or friend's house. For some reason we have far more problems with the a/c in our bldg than with the heat.

If our heat goes out it's because our electricity is off, but I can get warm & no complaints as I have battery operated lights for backup. That may happen once a year, but our heat in the south is so humid you go nuts without a/c. I'm sure it's equally or more humid where you are. I know my friend in Sydney complains about the summer heat all the time, as they only have a/c in their bedrooms.

I used to laugh at the comparison of dry heat and humid heat. To me it seemed heat is heat, but we are finally having 90 degree days with little humidity (a rare thing here) and it's very nice. There is definitely a difference.

There are obviously many people who feel the same as you in loving cold weather. Otherwise all northerners would have moved south.
 
That Guy said:
I care neither for heat nor cold (what a wimp). In winter, I do enjoy the rain and the energy of big storms . . . that, of course, bring big, big waves. But, it's still summer for a few more weeks here and am looking forward to the change of season into fall no matter how subtle. Shadows are growing longer. Sun setting earlier. Rain may or may not come (it better . . . no more drought, please). Leaves turn and the tourists split.
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Re your droughts....we must have gotten all your rain and I wish I enjoyed it. As I mentioned in another post, we've had more rain this summer than the last 2 put together.
 
The sea ice extent in the Antarctic is WAY, WAY above average and I see that there is a LOT of ice in the Arctic this year (about 2 million square kilometers more than at this time last year) .... could this be an indicator of a cold Winter ahead?

Green represents ice present in 2013 which was not present in 2012. Red shows the opposite.


The Farmer's Almanac is not encouraging .... if you like warmth:
The Farmers' Almanac is using words like "piercing cold," ''bitterly cold" and "biting cold" to describe the upcoming winter. And if its predictions are right, the first outdoor Super Bowl in years will be a messy "Storm Bowl."

The 197-year-old publication that hits newsstands Monday predicts a winter storm will hit the Northeast around the time the Super Bowl is played at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It also predicts a colder-than-normal winter for two-thirds of the country and heavy snowfall in the Midwest, Great Lakes and New England.

"We're using a very strong four-letter word to describe this winter, which is C-O-L-D. It's going to be very cold," said Sandi Duncan, managing editor.
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Winter in Sydney is not as stark as in higher latitudes and very few trees lose their leaves because our native vegetation is not deciduous. Eucalyptus trees lose some leaves all year round and peel their bark too. Exotic plants in suburban gardens mark out the four seasons and right now there is an abundance of blossoms. The early bulbs like jonquils have just about finished but they don't burst up through a cover of snow.

The wattle trees here begin to flower mid Winter and they always lift my spirits as heralds of the coming warmth. The one outside my bedroom window comes in a bit later and it is in full flower right now. It is a glorious sight.

I love the Spring when we start to shed layers of warm clothing. It is always a rejuvenating and energising time.

Summer here is a mixed blessing. It coincides with Christmas and annual leave vacations. For many it is a time of lazing about with friends and family and can be very relaxing but it is also a time when the heat dries out the land, of water rationing and threat of bush fires.

I've never had air conditioning but we do have a ducted water cooling system that gives some relief when the house is very hot. In Winter we have a gas fire. On the whole, life is pretty comfortable all year round where I live.
 
It's all in what you get used to. I didn't grow up with air conditioning, there was no such thing 'til I was early teens. Now, a lot of us take it for granted. I think your body adjusts accordingly. Our forefathers certainly didn't have it and I'm sure they did very well. What I can't imagine are the large hooped skirts/layers of garments ladies used to wear (i.e., Gone With The Wind). My gosh, how did they stand all that in the heat! And men w/those long sleeved shirts and jackets....whew!
 
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