We'll be glad to chat and share experiences and gripes. I'll warn you, though. There is at least one Aussie that joins in and we kind of like them. Keep it civil!
May I suggest you modify your profile to show where you are. It really helps in some of our discussions.
I am an old rough country boy and retired on a little block of land on the coast of Nort Otago which is in the South Island of New Zealand at 45 degrees south. By on the coast I mean the house is about 90 yards from a cliff that dropped straight to the high tide mark.
Try to grow all me own vegies but it sure is a struggle as any wind that comes off the sea is cold any time of the year.
We don't get any snow here but see it on the hills a few miles away sometimes, although in the past it has been known to reach right down to sea level. Inland has quite warm summers but the sea keeps ours down some what.