conundrum
I like warm things.
Hot chocolate.
Hot coffee.
Hot showers.
Heat from the heater in winter.
Snuggling under the doona.
Early spring days when the sun begins to warm these old bones.
When I sit outside in the old lawn chair, soaking it up.
Late autumn, ditto.
Hats, jackets, scarves, fluffy bedsocks, hot water bottles.
Hot apple pie.
You'd think then, that with all this loving of warmth, I'd be looking forward to summer.
Hot days. Searing hot days.
Hot buildings, hot roadways, (blisteringly hot if you like to walk barefoot....not a good idea), even the air is hot.
I should be happy, right?
Not so.
It's an entirely different sort of heat. Unrelenting. Never ending. All of those words that mean eternal. Ceaseless. Constant. Perpetual. (Let's not mention the glare, the headache inducing glare).
Heat not of my own choosing.
And this last one, I suppose, is the problem.
In the other seasons, I can choose my heat level.
I can adjust the heater.
I can add or subtract layers of clothing to be comfortable.
In the summer, none of this is possible.
Except for the airconditioner that I now have, (which only heats or cools one room), regulating of my personal heat level is near impossible.
Icy cold drink? Cools you down, yes, but not for long.
Cool showers? Same.
Kick the doona off the bed? Makes no difference. The mattress is warm from my body. Hmpf!
Here's where a frozen hot water bottle helps.
As for subtracting layers of clothing.....well, there's only so many layers one can remove and still remain decently covered.
When the air itself remains hot for weeks at a time, months even, comfort is hard to achieve.
Clearly I can't simply stay in my living room for the next 3-4 months.
There's work to go to, (thankfully the store is airconditioned), people to visit, shopping trips, often on buses with no aircon, (or buses that are so icily cold I'm wishing for a blanket), one way or another, I must be out and about.
So I'm very grateful right now, to whichever gods are responsible, for the cooler, sometimes rainy days we are getting, as we ease into the summer.
Each hot day so far has been bearable because I knew a cooler day was on the horizon.
I'm hoping the weather continues this way for quite some time.
Maybe until next winter?
Hot chocolate.
Hot coffee.
Hot showers.
Heat from the heater in winter.
Snuggling under the doona.
Early spring days when the sun begins to warm these old bones.
When I sit outside in the old lawn chair, soaking it up.
Late autumn, ditto.
Hats, jackets, scarves, fluffy bedsocks, hot water bottles.
Hot apple pie.
You'd think then, that with all this loving of warmth, I'd be looking forward to summer.
Hot days. Searing hot days.
Hot buildings, hot roadways, (blisteringly hot if you like to walk barefoot....not a good idea), even the air is hot.
I should be happy, right?
Not so.
It's an entirely different sort of heat. Unrelenting. Never ending. All of those words that mean eternal. Ceaseless. Constant. Perpetual. (Let's not mention the glare, the headache inducing glare).
Heat not of my own choosing.
And this last one, I suppose, is the problem.
In the other seasons, I can choose my heat level.
I can adjust the heater.
I can add or subtract layers of clothing to be comfortable.
In the summer, none of this is possible.
Except for the airconditioner that I now have, (which only heats or cools one room), regulating of my personal heat level is near impossible.
Icy cold drink? Cools you down, yes, but not for long.
Cool showers? Same.
Kick the doona off the bed? Makes no difference. The mattress is warm from my body. Hmpf!
Here's where a frozen hot water bottle helps.
As for subtracting layers of clothing.....well, there's only so many layers one can remove and still remain decently covered.
When the air itself remains hot for weeks at a time, months even, comfort is hard to achieve.
Clearly I can't simply stay in my living room for the next 3-4 months.
There's work to go to, (thankfully the store is airconditioned), people to visit, shopping trips, often on buses with no aircon, (or buses that are so icily cold I'm wishing for a blanket), one way or another, I must be out and about.
So I'm very grateful right now, to whichever gods are responsible, for the cooler, sometimes rainy days we are getting, as we ease into the summer.
Each hot day so far has been bearable because I knew a cooler day was on the horizon.
I'm hoping the weather continues this way for quite some time.
Maybe until next winter?
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Hear hear, I'm with you. I have a body designed for winter and agree with the idea of being able to choose what layers of clothes to put or remove.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I can't stand feeling cold and have been known to wear bed socks on balmy nights :)
I'm totally the opposite River- I lurrrve Summer and can't get enough of the heat!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much fro your Christmas card too, it cam in the mail today. We actually don't get a lot of Christmas cards, so it was especially lovely :)
Hi River,
ReplyDeleteWhat's summer?
:0)
Cheers
PM
Kath; I've been known to wear fluffy bedsocks, but only around the house. As soon as I'm in bed, off they come. Even in the winter.
ReplyDeleteLori; You and 90% of the rest of Australia love summer. You're welcome.
Plasman; Come to Australia and find out.
Lucky you. There hasn't been much summer here in Melbourne. Hmm, I think you need to move south. More south... or northern hemisphere! Funny post... xx
ReplyDeleteKymmie; I was born in the northern hemisphere, in Germany, but in their summer.
ReplyDeleteThis weather is crazy it's hot one day and I have ahoodie on the next. Today is overcast and cool. La Nina is here for summer so it's going to be hot and sticky while the north gets loads of snow. I think I'd rather hot and sticky
ReplyDeleteBaino; UGH!! I hate hot and sticky! On the other hand, I don't think I'd cope well with snow either. Cold is fine, but freezing? No thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you river, BAN the heat - bring on the cool. My aircon is on by 11am each day here in the tropics. It's that damn humidity!
ReplyDelete