The Summer of My Discontent

Sam and I have just had a great time hurtling down the driveway on trikes before careering with style into the carport. He’s much braver on his ride-on trike than Bea ever was, and I can still hold my own on a tricycle much too small for me. Brilliant fun.

It’s been a very blustery day in Auckland, so we were out in the nor’easter laughing in the wind as I tend to do on blustery, squally days. This is still a mild subtropical low pressure system, but it’s a blessed relief to see the end of our uncharacteristically long and dry Auckland summer. It’s just lovely to wear a jersey again.   

I’m not against summer (much), but I’d always willingly choose spring, autumn or winter, if I had the choice, and having lived in Auckland most of my life, I do feel keenly the lack of real winters. Yet, despite it being incredibly common for people to bitch their way through a hot summer—and in my case, obsessively check the MetService 10 day forecast just in case they unexpectedly discover a southerly front moving in, meaning that autumn will arrive sharply—it’s not socially acceptable to actively dislike summer. It’s comparable with not enjoying card games. You’re cast as a spoil-sport. Well, guess what? I’m the biggest spoil-sport around.

So imagine what it’s like when you’re about to move to Canada.

“Oh, you won’t be complaining about summer after your first winter.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts!”

Or just the plain annoying: “Oh, it gets cold in Canada...”

Really? Really!?! I never knew. Somehow in my lifelong fascinating with Canadian things and my bewitchment by northern climes, I never realised that Canada might have cold winters. Never. Not once. Will I need a hat?

Now I’m not moving to the Canadian arctic. I’m not even moving to Edmonton or Montréal. It’s Toronto, which is relatively benign by Canadian standards. Still significantly colder in winter than anything I’ve yet experienced long term, but the idea of winter, “The Idea of North” (while we’re on the subject of fascination with Canadian things), does not and has never scared me.

I may well hate it. I may love it. But, more likely, I will like and loathe different bits, and as with anyone who enjoys the changing of the seasons (something we don’t really get in boring, mild old Auckland), I will be longing for spring come Easter 2014. I just don’t see how looking to spring is indicative of a hatred of winter.

I lived in Edinburgh for six years, and while Auld Reekie might not get as cold as Toronto, it’s wetter and it certainly never gets as hot and summery as Toronto. It is also on the same latitude as Moscow, so gets much, much darker in winter. Effectively, it’s warm jacket and scarf weather most of the year.

And I rather liked it. In fact, I felt it could have thrown me some fiercer winter weather. Also, I didn’t have a car in Edinburgh, so pretty much every day, come snow, sleet or rain, I walked. I’m sure that having to get kids into snow pants every day and needing to drive on the QEW in foul weather will irritate me more than having to put sunscreen on the little blighters every day in summer, but it may irritate me less than going for walks in the midday southern summer sun with lily-white children. Something always ends up irritating me and you will likely hear all about it, but is Canada such a non-entity in small talk subjects that the only thing you can do is tell me that the winters will be hard?

If we must discuss the weather, let’s do it properly. Discuss why, this year, autumn and spring have been late coming in the respective hemispheres. Pontificate about global “weirding”. Actively engage with the issue of climate change. Don’t spout culturally-conditioned platitudes about how much I’ll hate the winter, especially if you’re from New Zealand and don’t really understand how things work in a society built for cold weather.

I don’t know how I will respond to my first winter in Toronto, but I’m very excited to find out. And I promise this time next year to update you on my seasonal progress.

However, the first concern on my weather radar is a Canadian summer. Don’t cold winters usually precede hot summers? This thought frightens me. Toronto gets significantly hotter than Auckland, and even more humid. I barely cope with Auckland. 

In conclusion, here's a picture that makes me happy.

© Sonja Nikkila (2005)

P.S. A conversation suggestion for talking to a family planning the biggest adventure of their lives: Oh, you’re moving to Canada? That’s exciting. I hear the Son of Trudeau has just won the Liberal leadership. Discuss.