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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To keep the kids off school due to the heat? I'm in Oz.

120 replies

user1477282676 · 08/02/2017 07:44

I'm British, this is all new to me. Other parents don't seem to keep theirs off....well not in our school! Some schools close when it gets over 38 but it was 41(105!) today and I swear to God I almost passed out walking home.

I don't drive...can't drive...so we walk to and from school. it's fine in the morning but 3.00pm is the hottest part of the day and it's a mile long walk on unshaded streets.

I felt a fool today. There was no traffic at all...nobody on foot...everyone drives in air condtiioned cars and there was no sign of anyone.

I've nobody to ask for a lift...my DH is working away till Friday or he would have finished work early.

I know I can't do that walk again. I couldn't breath and towards the end, a woman came out of her house and asked me if I had far to go and was I ok...SO kind of her.

DD was hot but not that bothered by it...she's tougher than me obviously! I did drink a lot and we had hats.

OP posts:
IAmNotAWitch · 08/02/2017 20:09

I would agree stitch, it took me a couple of years to get my head around carrying a warm jacket and umbrella for emergencies instead of sunscreen and a hat when I lived in the UK.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 08/02/2017 20:29

Learnt to drive
Please Op

fortitude9 · 08/02/2017 22:03

Is there a medical reason why you can't drive??

I grew up in Oz and there's no way I, or my parents, or anyone I know for that matter, could function without a car (EACH). One for every member of the family over 18!

Surely you knew this when you moved!!!???Hmm It's hot and it's not a small place like England - there are sprawling metro/urban areas and people get around by car.

SuperBeagle · 08/02/2017 22:06

The heat can last until April in Australia, so you really can't just keep them off school when it's hot.

Either call a taxi or learn to drive so that this isn't a problem by the time summer rolls around again later this year.

FWIW, I've never heard of someone keeping their children home due to the heat, and no school I've ever been to or sent my kids to has closed when it's hot (the above 40 degrees thing is a myth, IME).

foxyloxy78 · 08/02/2017 22:30

Some.driving lessons and a taxi or mini cab number in the meantime until you pass. You live in a bot country now. There's got to be a long term solution. You can't keep the kids of school if the school is open.

BananaInPyjama · 08/02/2017 22:55

Cycling is cooler than walking- you get a breeze when you cruise along.

Not sure where you are in Oz to have a hill- Uluhru?
Most places just have a gentle incline and going back (down incline) is a delight. 1km takes us 6mins including crossing 2 roads.

NarkyMcDinkyChops · 08/02/2017 23:28

Surely you knew this when you moved!!!???hmm It's hot and it's not a small place like England - there are sprawling metro/urban areas and people get around by car

I lived in Sydney for several years and never had or needed a car, ever.

NarkyMcDinkyChops · 08/02/2017 23:29

Not sure where you are in Oz to have a hill- Uluhru?

There are plenty of hills in Sydney Hmm

SuperBeagle · 08/02/2017 23:46

Not sure where you are in Oz to have a hill- Uluhru?

Er... I mean, I live in the mountains, but ya, sure, Uluru.

NarkyMcDinkyChops · 08/02/2017 23:52

Does that pp seriously think there are no hills at all in the entire country? A country that has mountains twice the size of anything in the UK?

mmgirish · 09/02/2017 00:00

Good to hear you found a solution for now. It's hard moving to a very hot place if you aren't used to it. Some people take longer to get used to the heat.

Original poster
user1477282676 · 09/02/2017 00:11

Fortitude I am epileptic. I can't drive. I did know what to expect when I moved here thanks. I manage usually. Days like this are not that common.

I have no idea why people are being rude to me. Very strange.

OP posts:
Original poster
user1477282676 · 09/02/2017 00:12

Pyjama I don't want to say where I live but there is indeed a very steep hill. It's a well known landmark where we live and though I live at the foot of it, it's not really the foot as it inclines for some time before the main hill. I'm from Wales and know a steep hill...and this one is Steep with a capital S.

OP posts:
Original poster
user1477282676 · 09/02/2017 00:15

Fortitude and further to your rude comments, we chose the small town where we live because everything is in walking distance. A mile to school is not a lot...especially when 40 degree days only happen a few times a year.

Yes of course I knew how large Australia is...of course I knew most people drive. But as I said, I unfortunately cannot. So I walk to the shops...handily close by...which we knew and so chose this town for it's convenience.

A mile to school and a mile back is fine when it's a "norma" sort of hot weather. I'm hardly going to not move to Oz because I can't drive am I? Talk about letting your disability affect your life! Hmm

OP posts:
TheClaws · 09/02/2017 01:54

I get you User. As an Australian I'm very used to heat, but even I considered going up to the preschool to get the kids out when the temp had reached 42c. TBF, the preschool had only ceiling fans. Also, DH and I are going away for the weekend, leaving the (older teenager now) kids in 45c weather, and the thought has crossed my mind that I probably shouldn't leave them. However, we do have air-con.

You shouldn't pull them out, but this heat wave shouldn't last too much longer either. You're doing the best you can. Good luck Flowers

SuperBeagle · 09/02/2017 02:25

I see you've found someone to drop them home of an afternoon. That's a good solution since you can't get your licence. Smile

sycamore54321 · 09/02/2017 02:42

When I lived in a country that experienced sudden heat waves, with little opportunity to acclimatise, the official advice was to take 'cool breaks' as much as possible. So if you had to walk to and from the school in the hottest part of the day, could you plan to arrive up to an hour early and stand indoors in the school to cool before the return journey (or in a nearby supermarket or library etc). Similarly is there a shop or something halfway home that you could drop into for a ten minute breather in severe heat. I know you said you are sorted for today but for future planning it might be worth considering.

birb · 09/02/2017 02:46

People are being odd indeed User. I'm Australian and have only just got my license as I really didn't need it up until now and I had terrible eyesight that took a while to properly correct. I got around fine without a car, even in the big desert mining town I grew up in. When you can't drive, you find other options.

And the hills around where I live are absolutely horrendous, I have no idea how someone can think a country this big has just the one hill.

I also find it really condescending when people go on about how a 41 celsius day is cool compared to what they have to live with. There is no where on earth where 41c is cool, cooler than 48 perhaps but definitely not cool or pleasant.

SuperBeagle · 09/02/2017 02:48

Heat in the 40s is foul. I don't think you ever acclimate to it. I was born here and have lived here my entire life, and I still find that sort of heat stifling.

Plus, this summer has been worse than any I can remember.

MidniteScribbler · 09/02/2017 02:52

Not sure where you are in Oz to have a hill- Uluhru?

Are you freaking kidding me?

birb · 09/02/2017 02:53

That Uluru comment gets funnier everytime I read it.

wetcardboard · 09/02/2017 03:10

Last time I was in Australia I walked in 46 degrees to shops 2km away along unshaded streets. It was uncomfortable, and I wouldn't do it now, but I was fine.

As other people have mentioned, use an umbrella. It will make a world of difference, a hat is not enough.

Drink a lot! Take a sip every 15-20 paces or so at least if you are struggling. In Australia, it's acceptable on very hot days to go into people's front gardens and use their taps for a drink/re-fill your bottle. As the water is coming from underground it's cool and refreshing. Unlike the UK, garden water in AU is almost always safe to drink/treated. If it's unsafe/bore water, people will often label it for exactly this reason - so thirsty people wandering by won't drink it.

TheDowagerCuntess · 09/02/2017 03:46

Not sure where you are in Oz to have a hill- Uluhru?

FFS! 😂

Geez, OP, talk about stealth boast!

Summer didn't even bother pitching up, over here. 😖🌧

Wink
Original poster
user1477282676 · 09/02/2017 03:57

Dowager Grin it's not honest! We've had a very meh summer for Oz...now we're heading towards Autumn and I love that time of year but I will miss the red and gold of the UK...mind you, you'll all be looking at the spring flowers etc by then.

Not long now till' lighter nights for you lot.

OP posts:
TheClaws · 09/02/2017 04:02

And besides, there are different types of 'heat'. 40c in Melbourne feels very different to 40c in Cairns. Melbourne's is quite dry; it gets to your bones. The heat further up is humid and wet, making it harder to breathe and move around. The weather report the other day was that the top reached was 42c, but 'felt like' 49c. Which it did. So I sympathise with those who aren't used to it.

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