I’ve written before about why I dislike summer and today only goes to reinforce that dislike. Firstly there’s hayfever. It starts gently in late September and reaches its peak in mid to late January when without medication the itch in the eyes, nose and ears becomes unbearable, the nose end eyes run constantly and the sneezing becomes painful. By March it has run its course and finally disappears…
Until the next spring.
Then there’s the heat and humidity. Take today for example. The humidity wasn’t too bad at 80% but it was very hot – 30.4℃ (86.7℉) outside in the shade and 29.1℃ (84.4℉) inside, and absolutely no breeze. My comfort zone is somewhere between 18℃ (64℉) and 22℃ (72℉). By 25℃ (77℉), I’m ready to step inside a refrigerator. When it got to around 28℃, I suggested to The Wife it might be time to turn on the heat pump in order bring the inside temperature down to 25℃ or less. She responded with a comment that approximated “over my dead body”. I was tempted, but the heat had drained all my energy.
So to all those bloggers who have posted about the atrocious winter weather they’re having, and think my comments about being in the height of the southern hemisphere summer is rubbing it in, well, it’s not – it’s envy on my part. I so much want the so called glorious weather to end. Tomorrow is going to be more of the same.
Another Spectrum 
3 Jan, 2022 at 12:13 am
It’s winter here in Buffalo, NY. I LOVE winter but I’m just about the only one. I’m like you … every summer, I can hardly wait for it to end. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity.
I woke up to snow this morning & I was so happy! It’s so beautiful.
Hang in there, the winter is coming. 🙂
3 Jan, 2022 at 12:18 am
Ah, snow. It’s a rarity in this part of the country. We get a small smattering that lasts for a few hours before melting away, but that occurs less than once in every ten years.
3 Jan, 2022 at 8:19 am
I’m also not a fan of summer and spend most of July-August counting down to the autumn equinox. It’s not just the heat — but the long hours of daylight. Here in Seattle, it’s light until well after 9pm through May, June and July. Sometime in late August, sunset finally happens before 8pm, and then I’m a bit happier. If we do get a heatwave, at least the earlier sunset means better cooling overnight.
I think some of my summer-angst comes from growing up in England, where sunny days can’t be counted on. My mother was a sun-worshipper and thought it was close to criminal to be indoors if the sun was out — and she would actually get angry with me if she found me indoors reading on a sunny day. But my husband grew up in Florida, where sunshine is plentiful and where people hibernate in air-conditioned indoor spaces during the heat of summer. I marveled at his family who were happy to be inside watching baseball on TV in August while I sweated it out on a sun lounger outside — unable to allow myself to go indoors.
Decades later, a sunny day really stresses me out if I would prefer to just be inside, doing some activity that is hard to do outside. But I do give myself permission to be inside anyway.
3 Jan, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Still humid heat is the worst!!! 80% humidity is waaaay out of my comfort zone! I find 30% to be the max that I like with heat.
It sunny and about 61F right now… the low side of tolerable. I’m about to switch from barefoot + tank top to fuzzy slippers & warm shirt.
3 Jan, 2022 at 11:36 pm
I was informed by my doctor who was informed by an old patient of his that possible help with hay fever symptoms is to access the locally harvested honey. I have done this and it has helped my symptoms and I know my doctor has claimed he feels much better after taking a spoonful every day after a few weeks.
And by the way give us back the sun that you stole from Queensland, we have had tons of rain and wind that we would like you to have.
4 Jan, 2022 at 12:22 am
Sklyjd, you send all your weather our way, even the smoke, soot and dust from your bush fires. While it makes for some beautiful sunsets, the dust turns our mountain snow red and is a sod to clean off windscreens. If you don’t want us to have your weather, don’t send it to us 🙂
I consume at least a teaspoon of honey, probably several every day, all locally harvested, mostly bush honey which, judging by its colour and flavour has quite a lot of manuka in it. While it might be after midnigt, at this very moment I’m tucking into a slice of homemade whole grain bread liberally spread with a layer of locally roasted and crushed Australian grown peanuts and an even more liberal layer of Rangitikei bush honey. If it’s helping with my symptoms, I’d hate to think what my condition would be like without it!
6 Jan, 2022 at 1:41 am
Whatever the goodness may be, your midnight snack description made me feel real hungry.
Come to think of it I have seen little dust lately, so now I know why, sorry about that:)