Wednesday, July 01, 2009

In which I continue to discourse about the weather.......

Aiyaiyai...... the humidity is a killer. Believe me, I can stand heat. Just not the humidity. Watering the garden last night, I swear there was more water leaving my body in rivulets of sweat than there was coming out of the watering can. And just so you know I am not a wimp, there is NO A/C IN ENGLISH HOMES. Nor are there many ceiling fans. No. We just lie about looking pathetic when we are not working or trying to get on with normal lives. I nearly took up residence with my chair in the local supermarket yesterday. It has a/c. The temptation was great, and I was not the only one either.

Mind you, thinking about ceiling fans, the ceilings are so much lower here than they were in South Africa. There, our ceilings were 10ft 6ins high. Here it is more like a little under 8ft or there about. I just tried to measure. So add a ceiling fan and there is a good chance you will be scalped or beheaded. We are a hardy bunch over here, you know.

So ...

The week is whizzing by and I am about to take Mum for her annual medical checkup, and then I will have to get more pots and soil. I know. It is a never-ending pot saga. My garden is just way too small and the allotment is full. Or, just possibly, I have grown way more then I needed to, or had a sudden delusion that I was a farmer.

Yesterday I went to see a lawyer re the hospital saga, and it looks like we will be able to work on this together. Or that I will just hand the lot to him and tell him to call me when it is over. This is what I really should do. I do know I have dates to go and hear 2 inquests which have direct bearing on Geoff's case in November. Sigh. It all takes so very long to get sorted, and I just want it over asap.

And then I came home, flopped on the couch and woke when Margaret barrelled through the front door. Once I was properly awake, we popped up to see Jean who had been strawberry picking, so I sat in her kitchen doing some "quality control". Divine.

This morning, I was woken by the hideous birds at an ungodly hour, when my neighbour left for work, after feeding them. So I opened and closed my window with vigour to make them shut up. I love little birds like sparrows, chaffinches etc etc etc. But rooks, (big black things) and pigeons........... I LOATHE them. They are huge, chase away the little birds, eat all the seeds, and deposit copious quantities of droppings on my roof outside my window. And the noise.......

So that was a gentle awakening. But I have been out in the garden a little while this morning, before the heat becomes unbearable. Older people are being advised to stay indoors. With curtains closed.

Maybe I had better go and scrub the gardening hands a little before we darken the doctor's doorstep. I look like a tramp. I will be back.

10 comments:

Edith said...

Sorry it is so hot there...that is so frustrating. We were very very hot here last week as well...and didn't put in central a/c when we remodeled as neither of us really like it and don't want to pay the associated electric bill. Whoo...that was a long run-on sentence. sorry.

Thankfully this week has been lovely and cooler. We've actually closed windows some...the wind has destroyed some of my tomato plants though.

I am so glad that you are posting regularly again - I had missed you.

Blessings.

Dawn said...

Nobody does the weather report like you, dear Linda. The word pictures are entertaining, though I feel very sorry for you. Humidity totally does me in. We're blessed to have "dry heat" most of the time here. But this year we've been blessed to have less heat, too. Everyone's weather is so varied this year, and different from last year.

I am so sorry you are suffering so. I had to really chuckle at the picture of losing your head and/or hair if you had a fan. We don't have A/C - I don't like canned cold air either, but don't like to be hot. We have an attic fan which we run all night, which brings in the nice cool Colorado air. But during the day, it can get a bit warm in the house.

Hopefully the doctor's office is cool!

I trust the lawyers do their job well.

Vee said...

Oh dear! It sounds just dreadful. We have a window air conditioner for such days and it does help to cool down at least one room for living. I also have ceiling fans with low ceilings. Many there are who have dropped to their knees upon entering a room where one is going fearing the worst. Sometimes I remember to assure visitors and sometimes not. Even John, who knows better, has dropped. Ha!

But, given all the rain and an average temp for June of 61ยบ F, there's just been no need. Still, from the sounds of things there, I don't want to trade.

Hope that this new lawyer will prove a great help and that it can all be put behind you.

May your mother get an excellent report!

Needled Mom said...

Oh....but that humidity gets one down!!!! The heat I love, but I do not like humidity.

I would be tempted to turn everything over to the lawyers and let them deal with it. It must be unbelievably difficult to sort through all of it.

I hope the doctor appointment goes well today and that you can manage to find a cooler spot soon.

Crystal said...

WE have magpies here, black and white screechy things who are equally annoying! Stay cool!!

Linda said...

I really do sympathize Linds and know how blessed we are to have a.c. These days we quite literally just go as quickly as possible form air conditioned house, to air conditioned car, to air conditioned store. Around September I long to be able to open the windows and get a breath of fresh air.
It's Grackles here. They are ugly,noisy and entirely too pushy. I like the little birds too.

meggie said...

Good Heavens. Down here in Oz we never imagine it will be so hot up there, where you are! I hate the humidity too, & wish I lived in Arizona, at times.
We are currently having our Winter, so we are shivering in degrees you may find mild, & trying not to whinge about it all!

Pam said...

It's even much too hot in Edinburgh, and humid too. Yuck! Our black cats are dreeping about the place and flopping in the shade, demonstrating that dark colours aren't the thing in hot weather.

I'm just glad I'm not playing five sets of tennis at Wimbledon.

Sandra said...

Ugh humidity, I just got back from a vacation in Texas and the humidity there KILLS me.

I much prefer dry heat.

Just wanted to come in and say hi, I've missed catching up with you.

Hugs,
Sandra

Carole Burant said...

No ceiling fans? No AC's?? I don't think I would survive! lol We Northern Canadians can take freezing temperatures (I actually never wear gloves or a hat, even when -40c) but heat...nope we can't take it! Right now it's 17c so that's perfect for me:-)

Your rooks sound like our grackles...big black birds that scare off the little birds, eat all the seeds and make an awful screeching sound. I always say they sound like squeaky hinges! I agree with you, NOT a very pleasant way to wake up!!

Hope all went well with your mom's annual checkup. Take care of you!!! xoxo

P.S. Have you moved into the supermarket??? lol