The house that Jack built

Just a short while ago I was walking home and took notice of all those lovely-looking buildings along the road. Yes, they are so charming but I'm afraid the most inconvenient things to live in. Already when I was living in Ireland I often found myself wondering why it seemed like people did not take winter into account at all when they built their houses, and the same thing can be noticed here. Just for the record there is a winter in Australia except in the Northern Queensland and especially in the mountain region the temperature can drop below zero and it can snow. But looking at the buildings you'd assume these optimistic people are preparing for an eternal summer. Anyhow, the building reminded me of the old nursery rhyme "the house that Jack built" and I decided to make a new adaptation of it to tell you this story. Here we go:

The building in the picture is not connected to the incident 

This is the house that Jack built. This is the sink that is in the house that Jack built. This is the cold water tap and this is the hot water tap that belong to the sink that is in the house that Jack built. 
Sorry, I just had to repeat my favorite complaint once again, namely separate taps for hot and cold water. Why, Australia, why? Get rid of that legacy of colonial past of yours and step into the 21st century, please.

This is the laundry room that is in the house that Jack built. This is the washing machine that is in the laundry room that is in the house that Jack built. This is the quick wash program that is available in the washing machine that is in the laundry room that is in the house that Jack built. 
And what about the laundry? As I mentioned in some of my previous posts, how is it even possible that people think clothes and bed linen can be washed in cold water? Our hostess has a private bed&breakfast and she thinks it's perfectly normal to wash the guests' sheet and towels in cold water, and use the fast wash program, of course. Now, to add to this gross story she also thinks it's fine to use the guests' towels to wash the bathroom floor. I don't know about you my dear readers, but I find the idea of drying my face with a towel that's been used to wipe dirty, shitty floors in the toilet extremely disgusting. Planning a trip to Australia? Do yourself a favor and do not book into a private accommodation here.

This is the window that is in the house that Jack built. This is the window insulator kit that was never used to insulate the window that is in the house that Jack built. This is the door frame that is in the house that Jack built. This is the door that doesn't fit the door frame that is in the house that Jack built.
Let's move on to the next topic, attitudes towards cold weather. I grew up in a country where being prepared to winter is not an option, it's a necessity. When the temperature drops to minus 30 degrees Celsius, you gotta have proper double or triple pane windows and doors that actually fit their frames, you gotta have proper insulation and seals everywhere. And it's quite handy to have a hallway so the front door doesn't open to your living room and let in a gust of freezing wind every time someone comes or goes.. So from my point of view it's really strange not to try to keep the coldness outside and the warmth inside.

This is the central hating system that was installed in the house that Jack built. This is the switch that cannot be used to turn the central heating on that was installed in the house that Jack built. 
In the beginning of this winter we were staying in Sunshine Coast and always were quite perplexed because our hosts used to leave the windows open in the night, most likely to air the house. Well, the night time temperature was only a couple of degrees plus, it would never occur to me to leave the windows open and let the cold air in the warm house. But in Australia it apparently doesn't make any difference because they are reluctant to turn the heating on, so you don't have to worry about the expensive warmth disappearing through the open window. In the Blue Mountains region it's still very cold, especially in the night, but our hostess turns the heating off for the night because "it's too expensive". Every morning it comes to her as a surprise that we are freezing and sneezing. Well, the temperature in the morning is +15 and that's NOT a room temperature. In the day it's warmer outside than inside. But it doesn't bother our hostess because she has one of those electric blankets and it's only Anna and I who are sitting next to the drafty windows, wearing 4 layers of clothing and being frozen to the core.

In a away I can see that heating this house is waste of energy and money. The oldest part of the house was build in the end of 19th century and even after the renovation the house has maintained that old world charm. The windows are pretty but there's only a single pane of glass. The doors are simple old-fashioned wooden doors, they don't fit the frame and the wind is free to blow in through the cracks. I didn't know how to react when our hostess told us she had bought one antique door abroad and had it installed in the living room. The door admittedly looks beautiful but it also looks like it has been feasted on by hordes of wood-eating insects and as if that wasn't enough, it looks like it's ready to degenerate into dust if you accidentally poke it. It makes one wonder if it had been clever to install a proper door or just forget about the door as that one serves the solely decorative purpose, not being used to allow access in and out.

This is the bathroom that is in the house that Jack built. This is the wooden floor and this is the concrete wall that are in the bathroom that is in the house that Jack built. This is the bathtub and this is the all-too-small shower curtain that are in the bathroom that is in the house that Jack built.
The bathroom is never heated, and our bathroom consists of a bathtub on a wooden floor. Every time I take a shower here I watch the water trickle down the wall (that is a simple painted wall, I wonder if they have ever heard of wet room materials, like ceramic tiles and shower cubicles) onto the wooden floor and I imagine the terrible mold problem that will most certainly ensue. Bathroom sink has been integrated into a wooden bench, just like the kitchen sink. Yeah, wood simply is the best material for that purpose. I can't understand these people who are more interested in interior design than practicality.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. this is the toxic mold that is in the house that Jack built.