Currently the weather is, yes you guessed it, hot. The sun is beating down daily and there is no sign of rain. Formally we are still calling it spring, yet this is clearly summer weather, what ever we say. To those climate change deniers I say look around, feel the heat, see the global natural weather disasters from wild fires to floods, from drought to cyclones and think again.
I love the heat! I find it wonderful! Decades ago I moved from relatively northern places to the south coast, the contrast was stark, I had never encountered such heat in this country. It took me by surprise and I had to adapt to it. I soon changed my wardrobe to suitable clothing and adjusted to the feeling of sweat dripping down me. I couldn’t help thinking that this glorious sunshine was the reason there was and is still, a better quality of live for people in the south. Warmth opens us up, where as cold, shuts us into ourselves.
Now in the North Midlands, I embrace the change in climate. There is no more coat wearing in summer, as there was when I first relocated here. I celebrate this by filling my cold water dunking bath in the garden. The thing with heat is to be prepared and deal with it.
All around me people complain, many seem to hate this warmth. The problem is that as a country we are not used to extreme heat, we are not generally set up for it. We are used to being the cold, dark place the Romans hated so much. Working in any environment is hard in this heat, air conditioning is not generally widespread, our old buildings are not designed with heat in mind but rather the opposite.
I feel for those who can not cope, but I just wish they would stop moaning, people grumble through winter and mutter as it rains, maybe we are just a country of weather complainers, never happy with the environment around us, maybe we just like to talk about it. Am I just as bad? I am writing about it after all.
I want to tell people to embrace the sweat, just give in and let it flow. It is not unhygienic, it is natural and we are all doing it. Stop being paranoid about body odour, spray yourself with scent and pop for cold showers whenever you can. Keep your house dark and closed in the daytime, set up fans for these long hot nights. Let yourself melt into it literally. Make some changes, avoid the mid day extreme heat and aim to enjoy the cooler evenings. To me everything seems easier in the warm. My food choices are simpler and easier, the days are expanded and there is just more time for things. There are so many benefits and I just love it.
Even when I am stuck in my bed, with the sun streaming in, I feel better, optimistic and hopeful. Okay, at times it can feel frustrating to miss out on beautiful days, but the key is to make the most of it while we can. Naturally it is important to avoid the full glaring rays of the sun, shade is always best and keeping cool is vital.
Enjoy the sun!
Mental note to myself, you can’t live on ice cream!
Chris.xx
Living With ME 