27 June 2019

greetings from the European heatwave



Many years ago, almost in another lifetime, while preparing to disembark from the plane that brought us to Delhi, the pilot warned us to mind our step on the slightly molten tarmac (this was before the invention of passenger bridge tunnels) as the temperature outside was 48° Celsius. My seven year old daughter let out a little yelp of excitement and we walked out hopped onto the soft squishy surface and into the dry Indian heat with all the nonchalance you acquire after living close to equator for several years where seasons are marked by the direction of the wind rather than a drop in humidity of even temperature. 

hazy spuds

We are no way near this, of course. I only mention this family anecdote to show off how we can do heat.

Admittedly, it is hot. Especially in the evenings when the wind drops. AC is not a thing in private homes here. It's all down to keeping the heat out which is not too difficult in these boring proper energy efficiency regulated buildings with triple glazing, brick walls, cool basements and insulated roofs - and blinds. I love the smooth swishing sound of the blinds going down when the sun climbs over the hedge.
We also have a total of three ventilators, which we move from room to room.
herbs gone wild

At night, we open all the windows and wait for the cool night air to arrive while we drift off to sleep. I love open windows at night. For one thing, nightmares can escape so much faster, escaping in a silent whoosh. But also, the birds. They wake me at five and thanks to them I am up and showered and with my first cup of tea on the patio by six, reading the news. And I arrive in my office before eight after cycling through the magic forest. All before the heat starts in earnest.

The office is another story. In theory, the building I am in is top notch energy efficient, designed and built according to the latest renewable whatnot's requiring no CO2 gobbling AC. Unfortunately, inside we are surrounded by gadgets such as computers and scanners and printers and monitors and all their latest offspring, which all produce heat. But - as we all agreed this morning while we were fighting for the best position in front of the one and only stand-alone fan - we cannot cheer the school kids striking for action on climate change one week and demand AC the next. Surely not. Definitely not. Not us. (Occasionally, we sneak into the research lab freezer room - purely for comparison.)

 So far so good. I'll report back when the garden has dried up.




18 comments:

Ms. Moon said...

I can't imagine life without AC and yet, I know I used to live it. How?

Allison said...

I saw an article about the heat in Paris. The red gradients of hot, hotter, hotter than hot, took on the shape of the face of the guy in The Scream painting. Like Ms. Moon, I can't imagine live without a/c. I think your buildings are built much better than ours.

Elizabeth said...

It's been a gray and temperate June here in southern California. Cool in the mornings with a marine layer that burns off to sunshine and breezes in the afternoon. I know the heat is coming, though.

Roderick Robinson said...

Nobody told me that Pennsylvania was hot in summer (or for that matter damned cold in winter). Eventually - June-ish - we would prepare for bed. The bed itself, a double, would be stripped down to the mattress cover. Beyond the foot of the bed were two erected card tables each with its own 20 in. fan, each set to Max. Naked we would stand under a cold shower for several minutes. Dripping wet we dropped on to the bed and then began began the race - to attempt to fall asleep before our bodies dried. Sometimes we managed this, sometimes we didn't.

The weather and - more especially - the foolish fantasies of metereology have never engaged me. I aim never to chat about these things and, if possible, to ignore their symptoms. Two days ago it was raining and I walked slowly out to the car in a short-sleeved shirt; a short walk followed by an equally short walk from the car-park to the supermarket. I realise this gesture was the exact opposite of my policy of ignoring the weather but we weather-deniers must provide an example to each other.

After six years we returned to the UK and I suddenly realised what a blessing it was to live in a temperate climate (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where we'd lived in the US, were on the same line of latitude as Madrid).

To be a weather-denier is not the same as being a climate-change denier. I do my bit as the expensive solar cells on my roof proclaim. They represent another race: will I still be living by the time their cost has been amortised? Occasionally, as here, I fail to continue to ignore the weather. Think of this comment as part of the biography of someone who spends most of his life indoors. Were you to meet me you'd ask yourself: who's that under-developed stick of white asparagus? Were you to articulate this question I'd say: I can't read (ie, understand) poetry in direct sunshine.

Anonymous said...

Ah you remind me why I prefer cooler climates to the hot ones. It is so much easier to warm up with a sweater than it is to cool off with a fan. I hope this heatwave passes quickly. Take care there, Sabine.

northsider said...

Gosh! Think the hottest temperature I have experienced was 36 degrees in Krakow once. Do you get up early and water the plants?

liv said...

Your situation sounds ideal for whatever temperature, but I used to love sleeping with open windows and listening to the birds in the morning. I would go lay down in the early evening just to hear them say goodnight as well. We don't live in a spot where you can do that very much anymore, the night time listening. Not enough trees nearby.
The long term weather report says that we will get mostly mid to high 80's through the summer. We had our one long week of 98's but I am going to be very happy if we don't go over 89 for the rest of the season.

Colette said...

That little patio space sure looks inviting.

Sabine said...

In my experience it's got a lot to do with how a place is built and how the air can move.

When we lived in Africa close to the equator, the house was a square boc with a tin roof, lots of louvre windows and a row of airing vents all along the walls just below the ceiling. That way, there was always a breeze.
Here we have solid walls and good insulation, tiled floors and a cool basement, we shut all windows sometime after breakfast, let down the blinds and right now it's 39°C outside and a cool 23°C inside. At night when it drops below 27°C outside we open up and let the breeze come in thoughout the night etc.

Sabine said...

I found it very hard to get used to the weather back in Ireland after our years in the tropical heat. Some days I would almost weep with loss, seriously.
You wouldn't survive a day in Ireland if you can't hold a conversation about the weather. It's the main topic wherever you go.

Sabine said...

Far too lazy for watering in the morning, we do it just before sunset or as a slightly hit-and-miss exercise after sunset. There is talk about a watering ban for gardens and we will shall collect water from the shower and dishwasher etc. for a selct few plants.

Barbara Rogers said...

Yes, I also usually do the window open/close thing...and am fortunate my apartment is shaded by trees...an old south way of dealing with summers by planting deciduous trees on the south or west of homes, since they loose their leaves in winter. When North Carolina nights are too hot (and don't cool down by midnight) I do use a tiny fan and an ac which seldom kicks on. And I'm with you, out on my tiny balcony for morning wake up, and watering my garden in pots.

37paddington said...

What book is on the table of that lovely patio?

ellen abbott said...

we do heat and high humidity (so much so that when I am in more northern climes and the locals complain about the humidity level that I find dry, I just laugh) here but we also have air conditioning. triple digits are usually reserved for August though. 90s from June on through September if we're luck, October if we're not.

I LOVE your yard!!!

ellen abbott said...

also, it doesn't cool off at night here so at least you have that.

Sabine said...

Now that is hardship! Here it drops to around 25°C at the moment after midnight. But when we lived in tropical East Africa, we actually felt cold if that happened occasionally during the rainy season. I don't think I want to live like that again.

Sabine said...

The One Inside by Sam Shepard - made me cry a few times.

beth coyote said...

I've been prevaricating about solar panels. No longer. Even if I die before they're paid off, I'm calling the guy tomorrow. it's not much but it's something.

Our poor dear planet and her children.