very hot weather - and sartorical lessons learnt

This last week has been extremely hot in my part of Aus - a week of mostly over 35 (95F) with very warm nights. Apparently my state's warmest summer ever. It is just terrible! We can cope well without aircon for most of our summer, because it cools down at night. But for days on end the house heats up and it is remorseless! This kids don't settle to sleep, our energy is sucked out of us, no motivation to cook. There was a large fire nearby a few days ago. Anyway it is forecast to cool down this week; in the meantime this is what I have learnt

1. When it comes to the crunch I will prioritize cool wear over style! I nearly wore short shorts for the school pickup (saw several mums who did) and ended up grabbing a sundress from the mending pile with a hole in the back which I roughly safety pinned together.

2. I am even worse about keeping up with the washing (along with all household tasks) during really hot weather - so I need to get more clothing for this time

3. Hard to keep up with YLF when the room the computer is in faces the sunlight!

We went to a funeral on Fri and hardly anyone wore a suit jacket- some short sleeved shirts with ties. I was one of the few who wore a completely black dress, probably because cool enough clothes are often not black (lots of black and white though, and all white too)

16 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

Ann- I totally hear you. When it gets up in the high 90's here I can barely *think* straight. I get so lethargic and lazy. Hang in there, it will cool down eventually

Phoebe

Anne, I hear that you´re suffering, but we in Europe do long for sun and warmth so much!!!
Try some light weight summer dresses. I find them easy to wear and low maintenance....

chewyspaghetti

Wow- I'm actually surprised that is your warmest weather. I guess I just think everywhere hot is as hot as here Ha ha.
I am the same way- the hottest part of the summer, we don't do anything other than necessary because you just don't have the energy. The fires make everything worse- we get those, too. The ash chokes you, it clouds the sun and makes it smoggy- just terrible.
I hope it cools off soon and you can catch a break.

anne

Khris the northern part of my state is very hot, much hotter than where I live. But up there everyone has aircon!

We don't have A/C either. We have an evap cooler, but when we get our bad heat waves the humidity goes up and that doesn't work very well. Sometimes we take a day trip just to get away from it.

rute

Here in portugal we have also 35ºC in the summer.. it's awful because even a bracelet or a watch makes us hot.. all we want to use is a white dress and sandals and we have no opportunity for playing with outfits and accessories!

Isabel

I completely agree, Anne, on all counts. It is just miserable ! And all you can do is try to get by with as little movement as possible!!!!

One summer, when we had 18 days of temps over 100 and tons of humidity, I carried around bottled water and splashed my face and neck !!! : ) That is just soooooo classy, no need to let me know !! : )

Rute, it just seems to be getting hotter and hotter in Portugal ( at least in the Azores ) every time I visit ! You are so right about jewelry ! I can barely stand my hair when it is that hot.

Theresa

(website)

Oh Anne I know what you mean! Everything goes out the window sometimes doesn't it.

This summer has been crazy here - all the southern states have had super hot days, and our usual temps of 35-40 with 75% humidity and no rain has been replaced with maximums of around 30, but 100% humidity and I can count the days on 1 hand that it hasn't rained since christmas... We've had just over 30" (750mm) of rain this summer so far - more than our usual annual rainfall in all bar 3 years in the last century!

I'm finding the humidity and rain is almost worse to deal with than the hotter but not as humid summers I'm used to. On the upside though, our rain has meant that we haven't had to endure the usual fire season.

I guess in Qld we are all pretty much accustomed to just having the a/c on all summer, so its been my saving grace when I'm at home - helps to dehumidify the house too.

Are you in NSW?

Angie

Fashion Stylist

How about pool time, Anne?

Maya

I have reverse sympathy Anne! It's so cold and wet (snowy) here that I don't even think before getting dressed anymore. I feel like I've been wearing the same 5 outfits all winter.

I also feel the way you do in summer. I don't have a very high tolerance for either extreme heat or extreme cold (how I survive in the mid-Atlantic is a small wonder). In general, I want to feel naked without actually being naked when it gets THAT hot :p

I actually have a lightweight voluminous white dress on my summer shopping list, but it's too cold to even think about that right now. I'm planning to go crazy with dresses though, as I just hate heat, and I find it hard to think too much about what to wear. It's so easy to just have one piece to throw over your head and get out the door in.

Louise

Anne and all those who live in hot places you have my sympathies. We rarely get that hot in the UK and then for no length of time. I think we had a week! last year where it got pretty hot 80's and i went to pieces couldn't sleep barely ate etc etc!! I think i prefer the cold i find it easier to warm up than cool down x

Theresa, I am in WA where the summers are hot and very dry. Have you been affected by the flooding in QLD.
I can't stand humidity - we spent 2 summers in Japan and even though not as hot, the humidity made it much worse. It is the only time the weather made me really lose my appetite.

I bought 2 dresses from ezibuy today that were on sale
http://www.ezibuy.com.au//Wome.....52030.shtm (in white) and
http://www.ezibuy.com.au//Wome.....53340.shtm in the colour pictured ( that was an impulse buy because they said there would be a discount if I spent a bit more) Hope that won't be too warm, as it is longer and is lined.

Angie, we probably should go to the pool, I am just a bit over taking the kids there after 3 weeks of swimming lessons in Jan. Our paddle pool is a bit unsanitary since I started letting our chooks out sometimes!
I do let them have long cool baths.

Maya - your coldness is almost hard to imagine here. Mum is in Toronto atm and says it is about 0 every day - is it like that where you are?

A well as dresses for this weather, I'd love to get a shortish unlined a-line skirt. I had one that I made myself in my twenties and wore for years. Maybe they aren't in fashion.

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Sounds like the equivalent of a tube journey in London in the middle of summer. I have been in Melbourne when it has hit the high 30s, but with no humidity it is bareable (just).

I can't imagine QLD with 100% humidity...ice blocks all round!

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