Mexican Sleeping Bean

Spring has brought different weather to Wellington , but not necessarily better weather. The days are either miserable or gorgeous – no in between – and I’ve never seen conditions change so suddenly. When it rains, it POURS, and the wind can only be described as violent. This picture shows what my deck looks like every morning. Why do we continue to leave these items outside only to be whipped about and cleaned up again and again?? Good question. Ask my roommate.

The temperature is usually in the upper 50s or lower 60s, but temperature isn’t the best measure of conditions. It all depends on the amount of sun and/or wind. It drops to the low 50s overnight. I can now sleep in this temperature relatively comfortably, which shocks me. It is testament to the ability of human beings to adapt to extreme conditions. Next thing you know, I’ll be covering my food in tomato sauce! I no longer bother to turn on my little electric heater overnight. It never made one bit of difference anyway.

However, the $20 I paid for my trusty fleece blanket is the BEST money I have ever spent. I told you that I was initially using the tightly wound “burrito method” to keep warm. I abandoned this for two reasons: 1) it is a bit warmer now; 2) it occurred to me that in the likely event of a fire caused by my electric heater, it would be impossible to quickly untangle myself from the fleece burrito wrap. The burrito wrap guarantees certain death.

I have now adopted the “taco method,” which involves folding the blanket over myself. You still have cozy fleece on both sides of your body, but you can easily slip out of the taco in case of emergency. Kiwi ingenuity at its best!!

The risk of fire/explosion seems to have diminished with the arrival of spring. However, Mother Nature has delivered a new danger to New Zealand. That violent wind can hurt you! A sheet of corrugated metal can apparently act as a sail, which is unfortunate because everything in this country is constructed from this material. (Don’t worry - the Maureen quoted in this article is not me. I have not married a foolish Kiwi roofer... yet.)