August = summer.
We grew up as that was fact. (Well, it may have been wet and cool some years, the quintessential English summer, but it was still summer.)
It didn't change when we moved to Europe, nor to North America. However, whilst all our past homes enjoy summer; we now have to get used to August = winter.
But then winter = cold, wet, snow, life indoors etc...
...or does it?
We grew up as that was fact. (Well, it may have been wet and cool some years, the quintessential English summer, but it was still summer.)
It didn't change when we moved to Europe, nor to North America. However, whilst all our past homes enjoy summer; we now have to get used to August = winter.
But then winter = cold, wet, snow, life indoors etc...
...or does it?
Hearing our British accent and finding out we have just moved here; everyone here keeps apologizing for the weather.
They soon stop when we say we have come from Montreal and therefore the 15 degrees they are apologizing for is definitely not what we would consider cold! It's fresh, but when the sun shines (and it has done for the majority of our time here so far), we are able to happily sit outside.
Even for breakfast.
That is not the winter behaviour we are used to!
Breakfast in Montreal winter time was shivering as we hurriedly boiled the kettle for a cup of nice hot tea, groggily coming to and bracing ourselves for venturing outside once all our layers of clothes were on.
Breakfast here in winter time - so far - has mostly consisted of sitting out on the terrace on bright sunshine, looking out at a view I doubt we will ever get bored of:
They soon stop when we say we have come from Montreal and therefore the 15 degrees they are apologizing for is definitely not what we would consider cold! It's fresh, but when the sun shines (and it has done for the majority of our time here so far), we are able to happily sit outside.
Even for breakfast.
That is not the winter behaviour we are used to!
Breakfast in Montreal winter time was shivering as we hurriedly boiled the kettle for a cup of nice hot tea, groggily coming to and bracing ourselves for venturing outside once all our layers of clothes were on.
Breakfast here in winter time - so far - has mostly consisted of sitting out on the terrace on bright sunshine, looking out at a view I doubt we will ever get bored of:
It's a friendly affair too - we have guests for breakfast:
There have been wet, dark, mornings when we huddle up inside. But they have been few and far between.
It's not just the birds joining us for meal times.
Last week whilst up the coast having lunch with friends, accross the road from the restaurant, in the bay, we saw a school of dolphins.
Last week whilst up the coast having lunch with friends, accross the road from the restaurant, in the bay, we saw a school of dolphins.
For two days last week it reached a balmy 25 degrees - over fifty degrees different to the last winter we experienced.
Yes, it really is a harsh winter, I don't know how people cope...
We made the most of it and had a picnic lunch on the beach.
We keep pinching ourselves we are a ten-minute walk from home to this beach.
When we came out last Easter to activate our visa, we sat on this beach early in the morning, daydreaming how wonderful it would be to live by this beach, never imaging we would actually find a place, in our budget, so close to it!
But there is the odd familiar sign of winter:
And it does get cool - I have worn my winter scarf.
Granted, it wasn't the long, thick one I wound halfway around my head and neck in Montreal. But it was a winter scarf!
At 6:30am it is pretty chilly, and layers are required, as are gloves. The wind can be pretty cool. I keep wanting to describe it as bitter, but it really isn't.
A refreshing start to the day, it then warms up quite quickly, especially when the sun is out.
It's funny looking around at what people are wearing. A glance down the street and some are in thick, padded winter coats, boots and scarves; others are in shorts and t-shirts. And then all the layers in between.
Granted, it wasn't the long, thick one I wound halfway around my head and neck in Montreal. But it was a winter scarf!
At 6:30am it is pretty chilly, and layers are required, as are gloves. The wind can be pretty cool. I keep wanting to describe it as bitter, but it really isn't.
A refreshing start to the day, it then warms up quite quickly, especially when the sun is out.
It's funny looking around at what people are wearing. A glance down the street and some are in thick, padded winter coats, boots and scarves; others are in shorts and t-shirts. And then all the layers in between.
As we discovered in Spain, it is often much cooler inside than outside.
The lack of heating does mean blankets and thick jumpers are required in the evening, that's for sure! We had to buy a couple of heaters to take the edge off the temperatures, and there have been a few evenings when we are all huddled around the oven to get warm.
We work indoors, and then when we get too cold, we head outside to the terrace to thaw out.
The lack of heating does mean blankets and thick jumpers are required in the evening, that's for sure! We had to buy a couple of heaters to take the edge off the temperatures, and there have been a few evenings when we are all huddled around the oven to get warm.
We work indoors, and then when we get too cold, we head outside to the terrace to thaw out.