I have always felt the cold. I grew up mainly in hot countries and have always preferred to be too hot than too cold. On a warm sunny beach in the South of England I can go blue with the cold if I attempt to do anything so foolish as swim. I may be the last known sufferer of chilblains in the developed world. There’s a reason why I have been clucking over the Rayburn like an anxious hen with a poorly chick: it’s the only thing that got me through the winter.
But it seems that, over the last year, something has shifted. I appear to have actually acclimatised to my native climate. Five months of frozen misery have realigned my temperature settings to the point where I can – sort of – stand the cold. I thought this might have happened, but I wasn’t sure until we had visitors. Suddenly, they’re the ones sitting around in their fleeces and needing the heating on, while I’m in a t-shirt and cardigan (let’s not go mad here) feeling perfectly fine. Any more of this and I will turn in to one of Those People – you know, the ones who get onto trains and fling windows open in February, and who moan about it being too hot in the summer if the sun comes out for more than three days in a row. Please feel free to shoot me if I do.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I have gone entirely native yet. The locals this week have all stripped down to the skin and are busy working on their Scottish tans*. That’s still a clout or three too far for me just yet.
*that pale white glow that’s visible from space
May 29, 2009 at 8:30 am |
nah its warm out! shorts, t-shirt! its great lol ok to be fair i am use to the weather in northern NY right on the Canadian border. i find 25C a bit too warm at points, unless there is a good breeze. the only “cold weather” gear i have had since January is a light fleece and gloves, i think i threw an extra shirt on a couple of days in February but i have only missed one commuting day of cycling since the end of January,and that was due to ice not cold, i don’t cycle on ice.
May 29, 2009 at 9:09 am |
We seem to physiologically adapt to ambient temperatures. This could have massive implications for climate change cos if people would turn their heating down – OK they might be miserable for a few months – but the saving on carbon emissions would be huge.
On the other hand, our ability to overheat our homes has become a physiological need – which spirals upwards.
May 29, 2009 at 4:29 pm |
john – you sound like a window-thrower-opener.
Simon – it’s reassuring to know you do adapt, but it’s quite a pain barrier to get through and I know that if we weren’t having to spend quite as much on oil as it is, we wouldn’t have done it.