Captain’s log: day 15. Kate remains adamant that we don’t need a heating system for our home, while midwinter creeps ever closer into the frame. I appreciate her can-do outlook, and deep down I’m sure I can manage without a heater. I just have my reservations about it, having never lived in a place without comprehensive central heating before.
Yes, I’m aware that that makes me a bit of spoilt brat. But why should I have to go without, just because I’ve never gritted my way through five back-to-back winters in an assortment of snow-covered cabins, vans and yurts? That’s what Kate has done over the course of her international snowboard coaching career; needless to say, she sees my need for conventional heating as pretty darned soft.
Here’s the thing – the house actually has a central heating system. It just doesn’t work. I’m starting to wonder of it’d be so wrong of me to go behind Kate’s back to book a heating repair. Melbourne people, surely you can understand my position… it gets hot here in summer, so we’re not in a perpetual state of being toughened up for the cold when it finally decides to kick in.
Speaking of which, I wonder if Kate’s viewpoint extends to air conditioning? In Melbourne, you just never know how high the mercury’s going to go, and I’ve got a feeling that freestanding fans aren’t going to cut it in this pokey little house.
Honestly, I wish I could knuckle down and work the energy-saving austerity as hard as Kate does. I suppose I just need to set my mind to it, and acclimatise. The thing is that I haven’t trained myself to be a patient person; I’m used to getting my comfort requirements met immediately. Acclimatisation has never really been in my vocabulary.
So, what to do? I think I’d best not get the central system repaired without telling Kate. Perhaps I don’t need to go that far, anyway. A small gas heater might do it. Or maybe I can convince her to invest in a fireplace. I’ve always wanted one of those.