How much is the weather influencing your desire to move

[Close Shave Dave]

One of the biggest things us Brits complain about, is the weather.

Living on an island next to the Atlantic gives us the most un-precitable weather anywhere in the world.

Our forecasters have an extremely hard job prediciting what it's going to do in the next ten minutes, never mind the next day.

Now, it's not that we hate rain, or snow, or wind, or hail, or sleet, we would just like to be able to plan things, like weddings or outside events, and know that we would have a good chance of a dry day.

While we were in Canada last year, I asked the lady we were staying with how much sunshine they got in summer. She gave me the strangest look and said "what do you mean, in summer it's sunny".

I explained that we SOMETIMES get sun in summer in Scotland. So she told me they normally get at least 3 months of sunshine, but usually closer to 5

That's Hamilton Ontario, I'm sure different Provences will have different weather.

But me and the kids are sitting in the house at the moment, looking out at the rotten crappy "summer" weather, while our friends in Canada are out enjoying the sunshine.

I know Canada gets it's other extreme in winter, but again, they know it's coming and prepare for it. Back in Glasgow we just don't know what's coming until we look out the window.

While it's not our main reason for moving, it's pretty high on the list.

[Auld Yin]

Well Close Shave I'm from Glasgow many moons ago, and live just outside Toronto. At the moment (9am) and for the past two hours I have been sitting in my PJs in the back garden reading my papers. It is 20c to go to 27c this afternoon. It is bright and sunny and the birds are singing like linties.
We get, IMO, wonderful summers. Some claim it gets to hot and muggy. Well I'll take that anytime over what you're experiencing there. Today it is not muggy and that's true for many days. If it gets too bad almost everywhere, including homes, is air conditioned. Our Spring is short and it's summer before you know it. It goes to the end of September then Fall kicks in and that is glorious, warm sunny days and cool evenings, and the tree colours................WOW.
In the GTA winter is not at all bad. You had it worse in the UK the past two winters than we had. Everything in Canada is adapted for the winter. There's plenty of warm, inexpensive clothing available and houses/buildings are well centrally heated.
Yes, different parts of the country get differing weather. Some get longer, colder winters. People rave about the west coast, Vancouver . It's very lovely there but they do get more than their fair share of rain.
Good Luck with whatever decision you make.

[Close Shave Dave]

Oh we've made the decision long ago, lol.

And today's weather related problem.....

My car has a special function whereby you can press a button on the keyfob and all the windows roll down.

Well the car decided sometime last night that it needed some fresh air, and rolled down all the windows while we were sleeping. As you will have guessed, it's been slashing it down all night and all day now, so I will have a wet arse on my drive through to Edinburgh tonight.

Only way to stop it is to disconnect the battery. I'm guessing some of this rain got into the electrics

I can't really strip a door down while holding an umbrella. I would have liked it to be not raining, since it's summer and all that

I could moan about it all day, and probably will, but it's made even worse knowing that my wife is currently in Michigan trying not to boast about how warm it is. She even sent me some pictures of sun-baked Kalamazoo. Not Canada, but pretty close, geographically speaking, lol.

Glad you're enjoying your morning Auld Yin

[EVHB]

I totally agree with Auld Yin! Comming from Belgium (lots of rain too, and moreover always these grey clouds!), I just LOVE the weather here!!!! Great summers, nice winters. And wonderful 'in betweens' (spring and autumn). And even in middle of winter, these wonderful blue blue skies. I would say that there's not a single day I am not enjoying it. Even when it rains, because then you think about the plants that get their watter (and often it rains during the night, and by day the nice weather is back).

[fletcher m]

massively influential on our decision to go to VI. Not that the weather will be much if any better than York, just that my cabbages will grow well in the rain.

The main consideration was the freezing cold, i just want to avoid the really cold weather of mainland canada, so VI is the obvious choice for us. We just need to find jobs, now that is worth another thread sometime in the future.

Incidentally, victoria gets less rain than York, More sun than York and less cold days than York. I bet it does not feel like that when i am there, we just adapt.

[EVHB]

Didn't have much of the freezing cold here, last 2 winters. In Belgium I was wearing a real winter coat with a sjawl and sometimes a hat and for sure warm gloves. Oh, and of course a woolen sweater or a warm fleece sweater.
Here, I am wearing an regular winter coat, seldom a sjawl (maybe 3 weeks every winter), and regular gloves. But certainly not such warm sweaters underneath my winter jacket.
I don't know why, but -10 here in the GTA almost feels like 10 in Belgium.

[Close Shave Dave]

Originally Posted by EVHB

Didn't have much of the freezing cold here, last 2 winters. In Belgium I was wearing a real winter coat with a sjawl and sometimes a hat and for sure warm gloves. Oh, and of course a woolen sweater or a warm fleece sweater.
Here, I am wearing an regular winter coat, seldom a sjawl (maybe 3 weeks every winter), and regular gloves. But certainly not such warm sweaters underneath my winter jacket.
I don't know why, but -10 here in the GTA almost feels like 10 in Belgium.

I think that is because it's a very dry cold where you are, but in Europe it is cold and damp. The wetness makes you feel even colder.

[JEB007]

We are considering a move to Edmonton. I am from the USA but live in Chile and in this part of Chile, the weather is mild and fairly predictable... cool wet winters and dry warm summers. So to answer your question, how much is weather influencing our decision to possibly moving to a climate of extreme weather? Almost not at all... although Edmonton is very cold and has long dark winters, and warm, long days in the summer... I do foresee this being a factor in our quality of life.

Now after we are there for a few years, maybe I will have a different answer... but I have lived in Manchester, UK; Texas, USA; and Central Chile... I think we can handle the shift in climate without major problems.

Saludos,
JB

[EVHB]

Oh, but it was not a factor for us either to move because of the weather. But it's a nice 'extra'.