Anybody else hate summer?

[Skip]

I live in the sub tropics by the sea and i'm not going to complain about that, but Summer lasts a long time here and it can get hot, and humid, and very wet, and often cyclonic and also very dry. This also means that winter is very short and mild, and usually fine weather, so unless it's also overcast there's not a lot of need for any jacket. But that climate creates a fantastic geography and culture and that's fine with me.

For a couple of years it bothered me that the cool period was so short but these days I've come to my senses and just enjoy the great weather and remind myself how lucky I am to be living in a place most people would love to spend a couple of days. The change came after I took up surfing again (or attempting to) with my boys and became a volunteer Lifesaver at my local beach during the eight month season. I lose a few kgs, get fit, do a community service, get away from indoor stuff and get to legally perve at bikinis once a month. how bad is that?

Nice one Andrew, sounds like you found your place...

Water temp's gotta be darn nice up there, 24*C down here at the moment and last week it got down to 16*C, makes certain areas ache if you stand still in the surf too long and Winter is still to come. I've given up the board, just body surf now, Enjoy the surf mate.

 

[Tim P]

I spent a week in mammoth lakes skiing, followed by a week in LA with an overnight visit to Vegas. All in driving distance and quite the extremes.
Plenty of jacket time here in Brum. I appreciate what summer we do get.

 

[Steve H]

Steve where can you go to get cold? New Zealand?

Nah- we have snowfields here in Victoria- B3 and Sorel season is tops!

To the guys in QLD/ NT, you can keep the humidity- i dig havings seasons again! Working in armoured vehicles in NT wet season can make you go troppo big time!

Steve

 

[Jason]

You guys ought to come to Tassie. That's where it's at, most of the time; not too hot, not too cold. I enjoy all three seasons for a variety of reasons. Summers here are generally warm & dry, broken up by the occasional summer convective storm. Summer is the season when the locals migrate to the beaches and swim, fish & go boating. The only thing not to like is when the warm northerlies drag in the humidity off Bass Strait. 30 degrees & 90% RH is not much fun.
Spring & Autumn (Fall) are pretty much carbon copies of one another: mild temps, windy, frequent passing cold fronts. Good jacket wearing weather.
Winter can be a bit depressing if all you focus on is the nearly constant wet boggy ground from frequent rain, interspersed with very cool crisp days... these are my favourite. Nothing better than a little bit of winter sun to warm the soul, while out on a brisk morning walk with a hard frost on the ground. Again, terrific jacket wearing weather, especially the heavier types.

 

[Peter Graham]

Ireland is a great jacket country. They're necessary all year round bar the occasional week in May but as Andrew said, there's more to life than jackets. The older I get the more the Irish weather depresses me but I wouldn't like to live somewhere with unrelenting heat. I spent five weeks in Texas one summer and I know what that's like. I'm not really a sun worshipper but a bit more would be nice.

 

[flyboy]

I don't hate summer - but I think my Irvin do!

 

[Rutger]

I pretty much love the summer, though spring is the best.
Week and a half ago it was near freezing with 3 inches of snow falling in the weekend, now spring has started with about 10-15°C yesterday and today.
Will be some freezing in the night the next weekend, but B15D/C or MA1 will have to make place for the A2 and the L2(B) within the next two weeks. By mid-summer it'll either be L2 weather or too warm for that, odds are about even. Hm, still got to find me a size 44 A1.
Will possibly spending a spring vacation week in May in Normandy in France, son wants to see the beaches and bunkers from D-day. That's a 10 hour drive from where I live in Holland, and I sure hope for classic spring weather.

 

[PaulGT3]

Tim
I have a little 2 bedroom condo in Mammoth. So if I get too hot I scamper up there 2 hours away.
2 hours from 120 degrees to 55 sitting at a lake shore.
If anyone else like Tim would like to go skiing I would like to issue a offer to
my teammates here especially from Europe, you can stay at my condo for 1/2 the price
the condo rental agency charges for my condo when I used to rent it. It rents for $450 a night
on weekends and i would let my friends here rent it for 190 USD. You can fly into LAX rent a car,
drive up get the key and maps from me because I am right on the way and then back down
drop off the key and off you go. Its a nice modern place with 2 big screens a nice fire place
and two bathrooms. The 2nd bedroom is a loft with 2 beds and there is a queen sleeper
in the living room by the fire, and a Master. THere is even a little bunk bed for the little tikes.
I would love to share it with my friends. The only caveat is you have to leave it as you found it.
so there is a short cleaning period before you leave but its not tough. There is even a laundry
but you can bring used sheets and pillow cases to me and use the extra clean ones up there.
For a week you could save about $1000 for your bar tab at the lodge!!!
This goes of course to my local friends as well.
Perfect place to use your Irvins, B-3s and your shearling flight pants!!

 

[Smithy]

The current heatwave here in Melbourne has sealed the deal on summer for me. Bloody well sick and tired of it. We've had 8 straight days where it's been over 30 celsius (that's never happened in 150 odd years of recording), today was 37, nights haven't dropped below 20. And you could probably count on two hands how many days this year have been under 30.

You can forget about trying to wear any leather in this - my leather watch strap is well and truly buggered now.

Seriously thinking of moving back to Norway. Minus and three foot of snow sounds positively perfect :?

 

[Andrew]

Tim, you just have to learn to be a VLJ appreciator, not a wearer :lol:. I was listening to the report today and I have to feel for you guys, the prospect of those sustained temps is terrifying.

I was just gonna poke fun at Steve being back in a tank but thought better of it. Bloody strange weather, we're 1800k's north and its max 27 and min 20 but nonstop wind and showers. What the 's going on?

Cool change coming Wednesday so hang on...

 

[Smithy]

Tim, you just have to learn to be a VLJ appreciator, not a wearer :lol:. I was listening to the report today and I have to feel for you guys, the prospect of those sustained temps is terrifying.

I was just gonna poke fun at Steve being back in a tank but thought better of it. Bloody strange weather, we're 1800k's north and its max 27 and min 20 but nonstop wind and showers. What the 's going on?

Cool change coming Wednesday so hang on...

Thanks Andrew. It's been damn warm that's for sure. It's 1:30am and the outdoor thermometer is showing 25.6. This bout of heat feels worse than 2009, we haven't been getting the usual 3 or 4 hot days and then the cool change for a day or so.

Doesn't help with the in-laws calling and telling us it's sunny and -2 celsius and they're all off skiing and having a good time!

Can't wait for Wednesday. Roll on winter I say

You must be due for another trip down here surely? We can put a spike again in the James Squire pub's profits!

 

[Steve H]

Tim, you just have to learn to be a VLJ appreciator, not a wearer :lol:. I was listening to the report today and I have to feel for you guys, the prospect of those sustained temps is terrifying.

I was just gonna poke fun at Steve being back in a tank but thought better of it. Bloody strange weather, we're 1800k's north and its max 27 and min 20 but nonstop wind and showers. What the 's going on?

Cool change coming Wednesday so hang on...

Thanks Andrew. It's been damn warm that's for sure. It's 1:30am and the outdoor thermometer is showing 25.6.

Can't wait for Wednesday. Roll on winter I say

Oo-rahh devil man! On the train at 6.30 now and its 27 degrees- very over it.

Andrew, it feels like being back in a Leopard in summer!

 

[Steve H]

The current heatwave here in Melbourne has sealed the deal on summer for me. Bloody well sick and tired of it. We've had 8 straight days where it's been over 30 celsius (that's never happened in 150 odd years of recording), today was 37, nights haven't dropped below 20. And you could probably count on two hands how many days this year have been under 30.

You can forget about trying to wear any leather in this - my leather watch strap is well and truly buggered now.

Seriously thinking of moving back to Norway. Minus and three foot of snow sounds positively perfect :?

Yep- today is the first day i have NOT worn the Perry to work- i try to wear it on the trip in and take it off when i get there- thats all i can manage, its too hot from 0700 onwards! Today- no way! This cotton business shirt is too much today!

 

[Smithy]

Oo-rahh devil man! On the train at 6.30 now and its 27 degrees- very over it.

Andrew, it feels like being back in a Leopard in summer!

Steve, I met a Yank a couple of years back who was apparently on Abrams in Iraq. He said at one point when - and the memory is a bit fuzzy here - in 2004 they were fighting in Ramadi (or somewhere like that) and they were actually hooked up to IVs inside their vehicle. The outside temp was high 40s or something and they were fighting whilst being on an IV for fluids.

Interesting bloke, he'd been part of the storming of Fallujah but the fighting whilst on an IV thing stuck with me. Don't know enough to know whether he was pulling my leg, but bloody nice guy, we polished off a few beers together.

Cheers and hope that Perry of yours doesn't melt in the current temps.

Tim

 

[Clark J]

I could sure do with some summer weather right about now,,5 months of winter and still counting!

 

[Steve H]

I could sure do with some summer weather right about now,,5 months of winter and still counting!

You can have some of ours- we're done with it.

Tim the iv thing is probably true- we did it in Darwin when the loaders passed out during live firing battle runs. In with the bag and continue on. Realism in training at its best!

 

[Smithy]

I could sure do with some summer weather right about now,,5 months of winter and still counting!

You can have some of ours- we're done with it.

Tim the iv thing is probably true- we did it in Darwin when the loaders passed out during live firing battle runs. In with the bag and continue on. Realism in training at its best!

I was almost hoping he was doing a bit of chest thumping as it sounded insane to have to go through that. And It's bad enough to be in Darwin in a car let alone a tank

And Clark J, Steve's right you're welcome to our summer! That's one thing I've learnt, if you're cold you can always get warm but if you're hot, and I mean seriously hot, there's bugger all you can do about it. I must have drunk a brewery's worth of beer over the last week and although it might have taken the edge off, I'm still bloody hot!

 

[Steve H]

I must have drunk a brewery's worth of beer over the last week and although it might have taken the edge off, I'm still bloody hot!

But we're not talking Jennifer Hawkins hot here either folks ( no offense Tim :lol: )

 

[Smithy]

I must have drunk a brewery's worth of beer over the last week and although it might have taken the edge off, I'm still bloody hot!

But we're not talking Jennifer Hawkins hot here either folks ( no offense Tim :lol: )

You obviously haven't seen me in high heels

Last night was a shocker, still 32 at 9:30pm. Tough one for our 22 month old daughter. Usual bedtime is 7pm but the poor little thing didn't nod off until 10:30. We had to spray her down with cold water and give her a hot water bottle that we put in the freezer.

Tough going if you're big, damn tough for the wee ones. Cool change hits today they say, thank God.