Autumn Down Under

It is autumn in Melbourne and it is rather cold outside with only 13C today. How come 13C feels so nippy here when 13C in Sweden is quite tolerable? When I comment on the weather here – I am Swedish, commenting on the weather is a compulsive behavior we Swedes have – the Aussies seem surprised: ”you’re from Sweden, you must be used to the cold weather”. Yes, winters in Sweden are much colder than the Melbournian winter. And yes, I am used to the cold OUTSIDE, I am not used to it being cold INSIDE as well. Single glazing and poor isolation seem to be a problem in housing not only here but everywhere except most Scandinavian homes. I keep the window blinds down all day in an attempt to keep it warmer inside. I pull up the blinds only when it’s sunshine and the sun is warming up the windows. This is a friendly initiative for the environment as well as for the electricity bill.

I went shopping for indoor sheep skin shoes for the entire family. My husband looked a little reluctant at first, shoes with white fluff and a bow is not his first choice of foot gear but after having tried them on he is now an Ugg aficionado. Ugg boots are are a unisex style sheepskin boots made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside and with a tanned outer surface, often with a synthetic sole and made for indoor use. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, these boots have become fashionable outdoor winter shoes all across the globe. I would like to point out that if you choose to wear your sheepskin shoes as outdoor shoes, wear the boots and not the slippers. Last week I met a lady outside IKEA who was wearing her slippers as shoes. Being a shoe-lover, it was painful to watch. Just behind her came a young couple, they were both wearing thongs, which in Australian English does not mean a tiny underwear with only a string between your buttocks but what I would call ”flip-flops”.  That was also painful to watch, it must have been freezing cold.

Compared to the winters in Sweden, I will expect the winter in Melbourne to be mild. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops down to just a couple of degrees above the freezing point of 0C. After many years in warm countries I am not used to the cold. But I am a viking so I just say ”bring it on Jack Frost, bring it on”. 

Sheepskin shoes - preferably used indoors