The following is a recent facebook chat about the
weather that I thought might be interesting for some. Temperatures are quoted
in degrees Centigrade. I've always been fascinated with how difficult it is to recall the "feel" of the extreme temperature that is the opposite of what I am feeling at a moment in time. Joeys is Johannesburg.
Sunday 15 July
Terry - Canada
What a
beautiful storm. Lots of rain and thunder; complete with birds singing
afterwards. Well, blue jays squawking rather than cuckoos, but it still calls
for Beethoven's 6th...
Cynthia - South Africa
Sounds good. We are freezing here in Joeys. 5 degrees
outside.
Terry - Canada
I was speaking to my Aunty Bessie yesterday. At 96 she is
really suffering with the cold and is afraid to use the heater too much because
of the cost.
Alice - Canada
I would give anything for 5
degrees......ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!
Monday
Terry - Canada
Alice, your wish will be granted in January !
Tuesday
Peter - South Africa
I'm always careful of using the word "freezing"
in the presence of Canadians and other far-northerners, but I did experience -3
in Oudtshoorn over the weekend. It was freezing.
Terry - Canada
Pete - you don't have to be overly cautious. Even in
extreme cold we are still warm in our homes. I felt colder in my home in SA
when the temp was +1 than at home in Canada when it's -20. However, I do feel
sorry in the cold weather for people with outdoor occupations. It can be brutal
with the wind and chill factor.
Wednesday
Peter - South Africa
Terry - you're right about feeling cold in our homes. Someone from England told me that it seems South Africans (try to) ignore the cold rather than accommodate it. I thinks that's because for 10 months of the year we're just right or else trying to cool down.
Yesterday at 02:47 · Like
Terry - Canada
I don't know about elsewhere, but Canada seems to be at the other extreme. In the cold of winter it is not uncommon for homes to be heated to 23-24 deg. In the heat of summer homes are often cooled down to 18 deg. The big stores seem to be the worst offenders. That has to be a factor in Canada having one of the worst per capita rates for global warming CO2 emissions. See http://www.google.ca/publicdata.
