Wow! I was reading the post about your winter preparations thinking, "Thank goodness we don't have winters like this in Australia!". I now find our winter's hard enough! My mind boggles at what you go through!
I still find it a little surreal that while you are all preparing to endure the cold, we have had our hottest start to the new year in a century. 38C (104F) and today 40-42C (104-107.6F).
Now the real worry is that February is usually the hottest time!
Still I think I'd rather the heat than the cold you guys get. ;D
Good luck for your winter travails.
Tracyj, I live in the U.S. in the Great Lakes Area. n We have had an unusually warm and no snow "winter" this far. However the First of the year for 2012 is bringing us a dewzy. It's just starting and winds are as high as 59 mph. That makes the temperature much colder than it really is. Wind chill temps overnight will be 7 *. It is snowing, but the snow is mostly blowing around and there are many accidents out on the roads. We are in for the night. I hate this cold as it just goes right through you. Not sure what I'd do in extreme heat, stay in A/C all the time. Lucy
Yep! Air conditioning is an essential here. I must say its easier to get cool, than survive the chill of winter. I really feel for you over there. I find winter here a killer in terms of my joints and Reynards I hate to think about winter where you are.
I hope you can stay inside as toasty as possible.
Take care
Tracy
Hi Tracy
Its good to hear that someone else is finding this summer in Australia to be very hot and humid.
I also have raynauds but I still perfer the cold because i can put gloves on, but this heat I feel is worse I find that i have to get up at 4.30 in the morning to go for a walk just escape the heat.
My fatigue is not good, but with the heat on top of it doesn't make it easy.
You are right winter here is nothing like winter in most parts of America & Canada so stay warm.
Cheryl
I live in the Midwest, eastern Iowa. I don't especially like the cold and snow but my worry is travel.
I work for corporate america and the weatherperson can say stay off the streets but when I call into work it is business as usual and to come in. I am single with no family around here so I have to clear the driveway and my body pays for it the next day. Last year I bought a snowblower but it doesn't work on the 3 ft of packed snow the plows tend to leave at the end of everyone's driveway when it gets bad. I can't call into work not coming in as we only get 5 unscheduled time outs per calendar year- any more and we get reprimanded. That is why I got the FMLA filed (Protects me from being reprimanded if I am out sick due to Sjogrens.)
So far here the weather has been warmer than usual. Today is the first day we have had the temps drop close to normal - 20 here today. It had been running in 30s and 40s. We have a dusting of snow on the ground too. The forecast for the Midwest was a snowier and colder winter season so I worry what we are in store for. I am thankful I live in town but in bad weather it doesn't help much. Yeah I would rather have the heat myself.
Even though I've had SJS since probably 2000 and only been treated since 2009, This is the first winter that has really bother me. My joint in every part of my body seem to be stiff and tingly. The only thing that seem to help is time for them to stretch and get limber again after a night sleep. I don't think I could take living any farther north than Oklahoma.
Hi Cheryl,
Nice to hear from another Aussie. (Thanks to the other contributors as well ;D )
Actually the humidity isn't worrying me, which is odd. I used to love winter, because I could rug up etc and loathed summer and humidity. I find now that I feel much better in the humid weather and I don't seem to notice the heat as much, unless of course its 38-40! In the humidity I don't need to use my eye drops etc. I think my body likes the increased moisture content in the environment with the humidity. I have a hoarse voice a lot of the time, unless I drink constantly, because of the dryness, yet if I go to the heated indoor pool, wham my voice is back in the high humidity. A humidifier is on my "to buy" list in the next couple of weeks.
I think I'll find the dry heat we typically get to be a real pain in the neck.
When it's winter here, I have possum fur / merino wool gloves (the warmest gloves I've found), plus the same in socks inside my Ugg boots, in the house. (I even sleep with gloves on in winter). The temp now has dropped to 17.5C and I've got the socks and Ugg boots back on! Do you find that as well, even at this time of year?
Keep Cool
Tracy
I live in the Midwest--Minnesota to be exact--in the south central part of the state. I have to admit that I will take winter any time over extreme heat.
I thought I would die this summer from our terrible heat and humidity. It doesn't help to stay in the airconditioning as my body still reacts to the high humidity.
We had the winds that "Eyeamdry" speaks of and then we sent them East across the lake to her in Michigan. The black dirt has been blowing and that is not good. We need snow cause we need the ground to be protected and we need the moisture.
My husband is very concerned about what is going to happen if it doesn't snow and we get the really cold weather. With no snow the ground freezes and the freezing actually is driven deeper because of no snow cover. When this happens it causes the water pipes in the ground to freeze and rupture and the septic tanks can freeze. There really is a reason for snow. It also helps prevent erosion from the wind.
Sooo, I like winters with snow but that isn't happening in Minnesota this year. Irish ;D
:) I think that we have problems with four letter words that relate to weather... Heat, cold, snow, rain, Wind, etc. :)
Thanks for feeling sorry for us! LOL. Must be lovely to be able to have xmas dinner outside in the sun ect. I live in the UK and it is very windy here at the moment. We haven't had any snow this year though thank goodness.
I am laughing about the line "Christmas dinner in the sun"! Melbourne is notorious for odd weather; this Christmas particularly so! We had about 27C and storms with hail stones the size of golf balls! It was astonishing! There was even a tornado warning for part of Melbourne!! Tornados in Melbourne!!!! Never!! :o