(This is the result of waiting for a friend yesterday morning. Not that bad, the neighbour's children liked it:)
So yesterday was like +34*C. One thing which helps is an airco:) I strongly suggest to my Euro readers to invest in a portable air conditioner. They aren't that expensive any more and in this manner you'll be able to keep at least one room in your house relatively cool. They aren't as powerful as split systems, but then they use less electricity. It's about 1.3 kwh, I think. Still a lot for over here, but they do make life easier when it's hot. Going to the seaside helps, too!
Don't forget to drink a lot, but no sugary drinks:) I just made normal tea and let it cool off. Put lemon into everything and you can always add ice cubes. As for food, remember that nearly anything can be turned into a salad. Pasta salad, rice salad, potato salad. I boiled some potatoes unpeeled and used a dressing made of vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Sometimes I added sour cream, and of course, herbs of your taste. I find that dill weed and scallions work best.
Water melon makes a wonderful dessert. We also ate ice cream (of course!) and lots of plain yogurt sweetened with raw honey. It's a treat! We also bbq-d and ate out.
I tried to do most of housework and shopping (and entertaining) before midday.. Most of the time I kept the airco in a ventilator mode, to save energy, but I discovered that pouring water down your neck and wetting your arms and face works. I also discovered, I don't really appreciate southern climate all that much:)
How do you cope with heat? Feel free to share!!!
Dear Sanne
ReplyDeleteIt's winter here in Australia so our daily temperature is normally around 15 degrees at the moment. In summer 30 is quite pleasant, 35 is when workmen and schools close, 40 is when most other people stop and 45 is hellish.
I remember one New Years Eve which was over 40. I was at a friends house and he had air conditioning on in his lounge room and it was still hot. To go to the toilet I had to pass through his kitchen and as I walked into the room my first thought was that he had left the oven on, then the reality hit me and I realised that this was the real temperature!
A few days later I was on the train going to work and I overheard a women telling someone about her Canadian relatives who where visiting. Where they lived it was 20 below and they arrived in 40 degree heat......thats a difference of 60 degrees!
Mark Moncrieff
Upon Hope Blog - A Traditional Conservative Future
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeletenice to hear from you! how's life Down Under?
It was 25.5 in my living=room yesterday, with an airco on. It couldn't cool off lower than that, though it was working on full capacity. Of course, a portable one has an outlet which goes through the window, so I couldn't keep the room totally closed, but still...
Anyway, upstairs it was much warmer (actually warmer than outside) and I didn't venture to the attic store until after 9 p.m.:)
During heat waves here I keep my windows, curtains and drapes closed during the day to keep out the sun, then I open them at night to let cooler air in. We have ceiling fans in almost all the rooms which help the air circulate, keeping us cooler with just a breeze. We use our AC when the humidity gets more than we can bear, turning it off at night and sleeping with just a cotton sheet over us and the ceiling fan going. Drinking lots of water helps, as does eating vegetables and fruits. Avoid meat as it tends to make us feel hotter. Salads are great! Those are my tips, and we've lived in some fairly warm in the summer places, like Virginia, Utah, Iowa and now Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rozy, yes we did much of the same. However, I noticed that when I keep attic door (to the roof terrace, that is) closed it gets even warmer, so they just stayed open day and night and I would open the entrance door when it wasn't too hot to create better air circulation. Luckily, it's quite safe over here. But my husband works hard and has to eat his meat every day:) You can prepare it beforehand and put into salad, too. Or eat fish instead, which we did, too. Canned tuna, green beans and cooked potatoes makes for a nice French salad:)
ReplyDelete