Cleopatra wasn't the Only Queen of Denial

There is a scene in Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues" when Eugene gets off the train which took him from New York City to the Army basic training camp in Biloxi, Mississippi. He quickly registers the oppressive Mississippi heat on his skin and declares it "Hot. It's like Africa hot!"

Well we are in Africa in Johannesburg but hello, it gets cold in Joburg in the winter! Not New Jersey cold, but Africa cold. Which is just cold enough to warrant heat-producing machines or heaters. Yet the Jozi natives are in total denial of this. When looking for apartments and townhouses last December in the middle of the African summer, I was told that the houses lack central heating and double pane windows because "you don't need it here." I am here to tell you that you do!

Not all the time. Just when the sun goes down in the evening until it comes up again in the morning. But that is half the day! The sun does a pretty good job of warming things up again in the morning and before noon it is nice and comfortable. But when the sun goes down again, there's that chill in the air.

frost on the RJ&KGC course

The apartments that do come with central heat have expensive electric underfloor heating. People tell me their electricity bills for the month of July increase ten fold when they use it. Funk that!

So you end up having space heaters which are unattractive, still use electricity and really do not do a very good job when your "space" has cathedral ceilings and you are far below on the cold tile floors. (Our master bedroom has a wall combination a.c. / heater and rugs so we are covered for sleeping at least.)

We had radiant underfloor heating back in New Jersey in our kitchen and conservatory but it was hooked up to natural gas. We also had hot water radiators in the rest of the house. Also gas-driven. Very efficient and economical and warm. There is unfortunately not a lot of natural gas here. (Which makes cooking on my electric stove a bit of a chore too but I am coping and we eat out a lot!)

I keep hearing rumors of impending power outages this winter which so far have not materialized but loom large nonetheless. So I bought a stand-alone gas space heater for the main living space. It does a pretty good job. It also means I am not as electricity-dependent and will not add to the already overburdened Jozi electrical grid.

My winter clothes have still not arrived from the States. I brought a very small subset of warm clothes thinking that by the time July got here I'd be flush. But an expat from Canada told me yesterday that it took her a year for her house shipment to clear customs and arrive at her door! I guess Cleopatra wasn't the only Queen of Denial. I need to buy some more socks.