aussietobe

Heat of NZ...seriously?

BEVS

Yes. Seriously. NZ is made up of micro-climates. Some areas are hot and muggy. Lack of ozone means little protection against the sun.

MissBetty

Exactly!!

between two worlds

Have just discovered this thread, and of course I too was disconcerted by its title!

Glad you're now home again in the UK.

Was fascinated by your description of life in the tropics--good to read as wind howls and rain lashes the windows here-- lots and lots of stuff i would loathe, esp the bugs and mould. Reminds me of being in Bermuda, thinking how lovely it would be to live there, then reading a book by a Brit expat outlining the things to be prepared for, and this mould issue was one of them.

Just all goes to show you can't know what living in a place would be like until you actually do live there!

aries

Mould is a big problem in the UK as well, I didn't experience it any time during all my years in Australia. Here it knocked me for six.

And as for bugs, flys, bees, wasps and spiders, they bother me more in England because there are no insect doors or screens. They say "here's another open place, we can annoy this idiot before we go to the next one!"

MissBetty

Lol! Yes glad to be back even though today is very windy and rainy by the seaside! Happily sat at my desk today doing all my paperwork with a cuppa and the central heating on. Mould is a real problem in FNQ but I never had any problems in Perth to be fair as it was a far more dry heat!

I just didn't realise what I was letting myself in for really so thank God for my lovely neighbour who helped me out so much. I don't have any problems in my flat in the UK but my sister had a few problems with mould in her bathroom. Its now all been treated with warm water, vinegar and oil of cloves - Betty to the rescue!!!! Mould be gone!!!

mikelincs

We found that the mould cleaner solution from Lakeland in the UK worked brilliantly, and the effect lasted for several months, you do need to use it early in the day if it's somewhere like a bedroom as the smell does linger.

rabble_rouser

The Tropics have a beauty that says look but don't touch. There is a lot to be admired but you must be cautious, if you are naïve it can be a deadly mistake.

England has a close-up beauty. Delightful brooks with stone bridges overhung on one side by a crooked oak. A Hobbit country. It does not have views as grand as the Alps or lush tropical rainforests but where else can you sit down in any meadow and feel at ease that there is nothing treacherous creeping in the grass ready to sting or bite?

If we have a sunny and warm June, I maintain that England for that month is the most beautiful country of any that I have ever visited. However, that is also reversible claim for the months of October-March.

Cape Blue

Really? I don't remember it being big in the UK, in fact in the 35+ years I lived there I only remember seeing it in student houses.

chris955

We had 10 times the mould problem in Brisbane than we do here and here we live in a 400 year old house.
As for bugs, nothing to compare apart from the odd fly.

aries

No student houses in this area as far as I know. I'm in leafy Wellswood on the lower side of a hill with a valley in front of me. Perhaps too many trees and bushes in this intensely hilly area, a nightmare for walking when the leaves fall and rot, and it rains a lot. We have two large protected pines in our forecourt (would be disastrous if they toppled), but most buildings in the area are surrounded by trees, high hedges and walls.

Taken from Wikipedia . . .

"Wellswood and the Lincombes were built up by wealthy Victorians who, influenced by their travels around the Mediterranean, built large villas with Italianate features and towers. There are many pine trees, Bay bushes and trees (Laurus nobilis), various palm tree species and Phormiums."

Adelaide has a much dryer climate, I didn't see damp in any of the places I lived there, much like MissBetty in Perth.

Mallory

Because it's called "damp" in the UK. Ever heard of that? Damp and mould go hand-in-hand.

Cape Blue

Strangely enough I have heard of damp and mould - just don't remember them being a big problem in the UK - just occuring in student houses where they appear unable to open a window.

quoll

Bathroom mould seems about the same to me (Canberra and Cambridge) but have just discovered Astonish mould and mildew remover - excellent stuff! Leather moulded much more in Canberra - I'm betting there will be shoes and bags still left over there which will be tossable only.

I'm with Aries on the lack of fly screens though, I do miss the fly wire door but thank goodness there are far fewer flies and other bugs wanting to get in, even when the DH is cooking some of his stinky meats!

dunroving

Damp/mould/condensation is becoming more of a problem in the UK again, apparently due to people being unable to heat their houses (energy costs) ... thought it was a newspiece on the BBC site but can't find it.

I remember growing up in a council flat in the 70s and water streaming down the bedroom windows and wallpaper peeling off the walls.