do you close the doors in unused rooms? Use heavier curtains? Dumb me I use lace all year around......We like to look outside in every room. I have 9 rooms.. Smaller ones.. basement and attic........Oldie house......but it isnt so bad.
Oak floors down the bottome and oak stairs with wrap around banisters.
Our house was built in 1929 when they used thick beams. We heat with oil and it gets warm in here quickly. Our heating bill isn't much at all and we heat the entire house all the time. I think insulation in newer homes is the key.
I like to look outside too. I only have blinds in some rooms so the world can get inside.
Our house is 108 year old. You'd never know that from the siding and the updates inside.....but I don't cover the windows too heavy either. I like a lot of light inside. I do use blinds and curtains, but not super heavy insulated curtains. I should probably buy some and at least close them up at night.
You dont get snow in the Carolinas............What is the coldest temp you have there in (YOUR SO CALLED) winter?////////////////////////
Your fuel bill would be a drop in the bucket to Pennsylvania and Maryland.. Pa.is colder ...............Nothing to go below zero here.. We have to use insulated glass or we would have pure ice on the windows.
Mine is about that age too.maybe more. We live on top of a hill and it gets lotza wind .......Put christmas trees on the long lane to keep snow to a minimum... Works .
We get snow sometimes. Remember the camellia picture. Nothing like you guys of course. I can't imagine living in snow like that. I wouldn't want to drive in it. I'd have to stay home all winter.
Don't own a heater & most houses in this area are built without fireplaces, no central heating either. Air-con for those who really feel the heat. Hot water is separately heated, either by electricity or gas. Winter is not very long as a rule, but it can get down to 12C (54F) min., though tourists still wear shorts & t-shirts when we locals are rugged up. They tend to come from way down south (the colder region in this hemisphere). Can you imagine eating Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings-roast turkey, plum pudding etc etc etc- during a heatwave!!! It's not pleasant. My mother is 93 yrs & still insists on cooking the lot in the stinking heat!!! We don't have Thankgiving, so Christmas is a big deal. Have a happy autumn.
You are kidding me, right?? -40*C!!! We have 40*C+ on some days in the summer, but minus!!! It is hard for me to comprehend, really. That 12*C temp is at the coldest part of the night in winter, during the day the temp will be about 18-19*C min. I'm sure the maples would look absolutely wonderful, with their autumn colours, where you live. Australia only has a couple of native deciduous trees & in New Zealand, where I grew up, the native trees are all evergreen. Here everything is green all year round, except for the poinciana & frangipani trees & they are exotics.
I live in southern California. Our winters are generally mild and short. But we still get colder than your 12 c (54 f). I would love to spend a Christmas holiday in N.Z. and have a turkey hangi on the beach. Or even no turkey, just a traditional hangi. I have only ever been off season, our summer/your winter. We just renewed our passports for the next trip but we don't have any dates set yet. The next visit will include some of Australia as well.
~Tina
Drama Free Zone. What every gardener loves the most, Begins and ends in rich compost. (Tina)
Sorry, don't have any photos of the poincianas & frangipani trees. They aren't at their most photogenic at the moment.The poinciana will soon come out with their striking vermillion flowers, then the beautiful, lush, green, feathery foliage. Looks brilliant in the summer, cool & shady. The frangipani should be sprouting leaves soon then its pretty, fragrant flowers will appear. They are both sub-tropical & tropical plants.
Agree about the cooking, Mum has become more traditional regarding Christmas food with time, never used to worry about having a huge cooked lunch with all the trimmings. I'm feeling bloated just thinking about it. Yes Tina, a hangi on the beach sounds much more appropriate, doesn't it? October is a good time to visit NZ, if you can avoid school holidays. The garden escapees along the roadsides will be blooming (that's if they are still there) & the kowhai trees should be in flower then (I think) plus all the other springflowers. It is also a good time to visit Aus. Lots of luck with your travel plans & have fun.
I get Christmas cards from New Zealand with a swim-suited Santa on the beach and things. I grew up in Cal. so I'm used to a warmer day about half the time. I have gone out in shorts on the day.
~Tina
Drama Free Zone. What every gardener loves the most, Begins and ends in rich compost. (Tina)
We lived in California too Tina and my mother had what looked like an aluminum tree that had a colored light that sat in front of it and changed the colors on the tree. It was so California. The light was a wheel that would turn to pink, blue, red and I can't remember the rest. It would cast the light onto that silver aluminum and change it's color. It's a wonder Santa left us anything under that stupid tree.
I remember those aluminum trees. I saw them in peoples windows. Unfortunately they came back a year or two ago for the retro look. I grow my own tree. Some are pretty Charlie Brown but our own. And we don't kill a tree to have one. They regrow.
~Tina
Drama Free Zone. What every gardener loves the most, Begins and ends in rich compost. (Tina)
dodge, last year I ordered a decorated tree off QVC. My daughter bought one and called me and said it was on sale so I got one too. We had always had a real one but my grandson has allergies so we all thought we'd try this route. I don't think the real trees bothered him though because his allergies were still acting up.
We had real for many years, but the price is terrible now , and we have to burn our money on that ...... And we are tired of trying to look cute..........When we finish it always looked stupid....... So we took the plunge......
Some folks dont like mine.. I love the tiny red lights and pine cones... They were always my favorites.
That snowman on top is a creation of yours truly.. It is a bean bag I made, loved it and set it ontop of the lamp for a deco...... I do lots of make ups for christmas......It is part of my joys leading up to the big day.......... Some folks like my work..Others think I am insane. both true.........
It is 10:30 and I've got to get in the bed. Morning comes early around here. Probably not there, but it comes early around here. I have to get up with the chickens. It's my turn to turn on the music for the chicken dance.
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