I’ve noticed a change in me since I moved down from Scotland 7 years ago. I never used to feel the cold in the Winter and I always used to suffer in the heat come Summer. Now I seem to be the other way round! Visiting my brother in Edinburgh last Winter felt like I was in the Arctic and the scorching weather of this weekend and week has felt just right and I’ve not been overheating at all.
A scene like this (from Sunday) would have made me search for the shade out of the sun a few years ago but now I didn’t even notice the baking heat beating down on me – and I certainly didn’t feel drained of life as I used to.
Of course that has a lot to do with my car’s air conditioning and being able to get out of the heat. Up until a few years ago the thought of air conditioning in a car in the UK under £50,000 was ridiculous. Now pretty much every new car you can buy has it as standard. I’ve had it in the last 3 cars and while I might have thought it a luxury before, my friend Jon’s Ford Focus proved once and for all that you can’t live without it. Following a biking trip on a hot Summer’s day where he drove I started car hunting not because I wanted a new car but because I needed air conditioning!
It’s great to escape from the hot temperatures outside to the icy coolness of my car and feel refreshed. But since I’ve turned into a southern softie I have to watch it doesn’t get too cold!
Living in Australia I used to live in Port Hedland (northen end of Western Australia) where it reguarly in summer reaches temperatures over 40ºC and rarely fall below 20 in winter
Now I live in Perth (south end of Western Australia) where it barely goes over 30 most summers (recent ones have been bad going to 37) but I get way too hot when reaching 30, the funny thing is when in Hedland I used to get my jumper out when it went below 25 (for the 2 weeks of winter we had)
So I know how it works, it is startling to see how much your definition of hot and cold change in such a short time though
We must be adaptable creatures us humans!
Of course you can live without air conditioning, you “southern softie”! How do you think I go on using public transport down here, where it’s really hot?! 😉
A/C your are having a laugh. You should try living in an apartment in Zurich, where the average temperature is 37 and the only breeze is that generated by the wings of mosquitos that are intent on infecting you with malaria.
Ooh, that sounds tough! You sound like you need one of those fans on the roof, like in Mexican westerns – that’ll cool you down! Just think of all the money you’re earning… 😉