It's the beginning of February and it's cold. Like, really cold. For the last three weeks it's been between -5 and -30 every day. There was one day where it was 8ºC and a couple of others that were 0ºC or maybe up to 3ºC. But there was also one week straight of below -20ºC. That was harsh. Like, really harsh.
It got me thinking about how nice it would be to live in Australia or some other warm country that is English. I've been to Australia and absolutely loved it. In fact, I've been to many places on the planet like England, Scotland, Spain, Greece, Holland, Poland, Whales, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, New Zealand, Raratonga, and a few major cities in the U.S. I liked Australia the best! I actually drove across Canada from Vancouver to Montreal and not one stranger actually said hi to me. When I was in Australia I rented a camper van with my boyfriend for three weeks and we drove from Brisbane to Cairns. We were greeted by strangers on a daily basis. It was kind of surreal.
I started thinking about what the differences are between Canada and Australia. I know what some of the differences are in a more superficial way. I know that Australia (or at least Queensland) has amazing beaches, wonderful forests, friendly people, amazing wildlife (I couldn't believe the beautiful songs I heard from birds) wide open spaces, a vast land that felt really natural without being overcrowded by people. Canada has many of those qualities as well, beautiful coastlines (though with water mostly too cold to swim in) wonderful forests and an abundance of wildlife (though not as visible as in Australia - no kangaroos or wallabys wandering around in campgrounds!).
I would love to just live in Australia to find out what the more subtle differences are. I know for sure that the weather is better there. I have Perth listed as one of the cities on my igoogle weather widget. Though right now they are having summer so perhaps it's not a fair comparison, I researched it a bit and the coldest it seems to get is 5ºC as an overnight low in winter. But daytime highs in winter are 18ºC! Wow, I would love to be able to walk outside in winter and it's a sunny 18ºC!
One thing about Canada, is that as far as weather goes, it doesn't change much where ever you live. Most of the population lives within 100 km of U.S border, so we are all pretty much on the same latitude. Therefore, it's just different kinds of cold. Vancouver is considered the mildest climate in Canada, but when it's 5ºC and raining it doesn't really feel much different from -5º and sunny. Basically, it's cold. There's cold and there's freezing. Montreal is freezing in winter. It's often quite sunny which is nice, but when it's -20ºC it's still rather unpleasant. It doesn't inspire you to want to go out for a nice walk, that's for sure. At least in the States you can choose your climate. You can live in New England where you can have four seasons, including snowy winters. Or you can live in Arizona where it's like a hot desert landscape. Or anywhere in the south where it's hot year round. In Canada it's just cold, colder and coldest. Many parts of this country are pretty much uninhabitable. There are parts of the great white north that are largely barren unpopulated tundra. There are areas where there are small villages, but winters up there are horrendous! Six months of the year you don't see sun! Can you imagine six months of darkness? Yes, that also means you get six months of sun and no night, but it's still cold. In some parts a hot day in July means it's 10ºC. I couldn't live there. I have always lived in a cold climate and I've never gotten used to it.
I find it sad that every year I dread winter. I don't particularly enjoy winter sports. They all seem to involve risk of getting injured. Except maybe snowshoeing. I prefer summer activities. I love biking, walking, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and camping. Every Fall I feel the dread kick in. First off because when I was younger Fall meant going back to school. It meant the end of summer which always felt like it was a bright, full of flowers and friends, fun, free, outdoors time. Fall meant going back to the boring prison. Soon after it would be winter, which as a kid I must admit I didn't mind. I liked playing in the snow, making snow angels, sliding down hills, skating, making snow forts and snowmen. But as a teenager it was hell. I had to be cool, so felt I couldn't wear a hat. I just remember always being cold. I used to have to go outside and walk my dog and hated it. I would just walk him outside my apartment building and then bring him in when he was done his business. I hated walking outside and did not do any outdoor activities at all. The only time I spent outside was walking and waiting at bus stops or standing outside to smoke a cigarette. Or walking to the store because I didn't drive.
As an adult, my time outside is even less. Now it's just from my front door to my car! I have tried to learn how to snowboard, but it's been very difficult and I have not had much success at all. Being outside means getting cold and wet.
Basically the weather here sucks. January - March is freezing. March and April are unpredictable. One year it might be mild with temperatures from 5ºC to 17ºC. Another year it might be snowy until mid April with temperatures between -5ºC to 10ºC. May and June are also unpredictable. One year it might be 20ºC to 30ºC almost every day for two months. Another year it might be 15ºC to 25ºC. July and August are usually the two months where you can almost guarantee hot temperatures ranging from 25ºC to 32ºC. Though August can be a bit of a wild card and temperatures can go down to low twenties. September tends to stay warm until the middle of the month, usually around 20ºC. Then late September goes down to the mid to high teens. October to December are also unpredictable, though you know for sure that every week it will probably get a little bit colder on average. Temperatures are usually between 10ºC and 0ºC. You can expect to get some snow anytime after Halloween. Though it can snow in October, it just won't normally stay for any length of time.
It's during these very cold months that I dream of living in a warm climate. I wish the planet wasn't so rigid about who can live where. If you are born somewhere, it's often difficult to just go and live and work somewhere else.
For now I'd settle for a warm vacation somewhere. It's been cold with lot's of snow on the ground for eight weeks now, and I feel like I've had enough!
It got me thinking about how nice it would be to live in Australia or some other warm country that is English. I've been to Australia and absolutely loved it. In fact, I've been to many places on the planet like England, Scotland, Spain, Greece, Holland, Poland, Whales, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, New Zealand, Raratonga, and a few major cities in the U.S. I liked Australia the best! I actually drove across Canada from Vancouver to Montreal and not one stranger actually said hi to me. When I was in Australia I rented a camper van with my boyfriend for three weeks and we drove from Brisbane to Cairns. We were greeted by strangers on a daily basis. It was kind of surreal.
I started thinking about what the differences are between Canada and Australia. I know what some of the differences are in a more superficial way. I know that Australia (or at least Queensland) has amazing beaches, wonderful forests, friendly people, amazing wildlife (I couldn't believe the beautiful songs I heard from birds) wide open spaces, a vast land that felt really natural without being overcrowded by people. Canada has many of those qualities as well, beautiful coastlines (though with water mostly too cold to swim in) wonderful forests and an abundance of wildlife (though not as visible as in Australia - no kangaroos or wallabys wandering around in campgrounds!).
I would love to just live in Australia to find out what the more subtle differences are. I know for sure that the weather is better there. I have Perth listed as one of the cities on my igoogle weather widget. Though right now they are having summer so perhaps it's not a fair comparison, I researched it a bit and the coldest it seems to get is 5ºC as an overnight low in winter. But daytime highs in winter are 18ºC! Wow, I would love to be able to walk outside in winter and it's a sunny 18ºC!
One thing about Canada, is that as far as weather goes, it doesn't change much where ever you live. Most of the population lives within 100 km of U.S border, so we are all pretty much on the same latitude. Therefore, it's just different kinds of cold. Vancouver is considered the mildest climate in Canada, but when it's 5ºC and raining it doesn't really feel much different from -5º and sunny. Basically, it's cold. There's cold and there's freezing. Montreal is freezing in winter. It's often quite sunny which is nice, but when it's -20ºC it's still rather unpleasant. It doesn't inspire you to want to go out for a nice walk, that's for sure. At least in the States you can choose your climate. You can live in New England where you can have four seasons, including snowy winters. Or you can live in Arizona where it's like a hot desert landscape. Or anywhere in the south where it's hot year round. In Canada it's just cold, colder and coldest. Many parts of this country are pretty much uninhabitable. There are parts of the great white north that are largely barren unpopulated tundra. There are areas where there are small villages, but winters up there are horrendous! Six months of the year you don't see sun! Can you imagine six months of darkness? Yes, that also means you get six months of sun and no night, but it's still cold. In some parts a hot day in July means it's 10ºC. I couldn't live there. I have always lived in a cold climate and I've never gotten used to it.
I find it sad that every year I dread winter. I don't particularly enjoy winter sports. They all seem to involve risk of getting injured. Except maybe snowshoeing. I prefer summer activities. I love biking, walking, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and camping. Every Fall I feel the dread kick in. First off because when I was younger Fall meant going back to school. It meant the end of summer which always felt like it was a bright, full of flowers and friends, fun, free, outdoors time. Fall meant going back to the boring prison. Soon after it would be winter, which as a kid I must admit I didn't mind. I liked playing in the snow, making snow angels, sliding down hills, skating, making snow forts and snowmen. But as a teenager it was hell. I had to be cool, so felt I couldn't wear a hat. I just remember always being cold. I used to have to go outside and walk my dog and hated it. I would just walk him outside my apartment building and then bring him in when he was done his business. I hated walking outside and did not do any outdoor activities at all. The only time I spent outside was walking and waiting at bus stops or standing outside to smoke a cigarette. Or walking to the store because I didn't drive.
As an adult, my time outside is even less. Now it's just from my front door to my car! I have tried to learn how to snowboard, but it's been very difficult and I have not had much success at all. Being outside means getting cold and wet.
Basically the weather here sucks. January - March is freezing. March and April are unpredictable. One year it might be mild with temperatures from 5ºC to 17ºC. Another year it might be snowy until mid April with temperatures between -5ºC to 10ºC. May and June are also unpredictable. One year it might be 20ºC to 30ºC almost every day for two months. Another year it might be 15ºC to 25ºC. July and August are usually the two months where you can almost guarantee hot temperatures ranging from 25ºC to 32ºC. Though August can be a bit of a wild card and temperatures can go down to low twenties. September tends to stay warm until the middle of the month, usually around 20ºC. Then late September goes down to the mid to high teens. October to December are also unpredictable, though you know for sure that every week it will probably get a little bit colder on average. Temperatures are usually between 10ºC and 0ºC. You can expect to get some snow anytime after Halloween. Though it can snow in October, it just won't normally stay for any length of time.
It's during these very cold months that I dream of living in a warm climate. I wish the planet wasn't so rigid about who can live where. If you are born somewhere, it's often difficult to just go and live and work somewhere else.
For now I'd settle for a warm vacation somewhere. It's been cold with lot's of snow on the ground for eight weeks now, and I feel like I've had enough!
