Friendship is….

Many things to many people. I could write entire pages on what friendship is.

However, amongst all those others, one is currently very precious: the empathy and

Greetings I received from a friend across the ocean who read about our terrible heat.

For all of you in similar circumstances:

Just want to send you

some coolness! 🛫your friend in Silicon Valley! ⛄

 miracuously it is cooler today!

One does what one has to do…

 Or ironing on the balcony!

Many of you are unaware of the heat wave scorching Europe right now – or are thinking “thank goodness it’s not me”.

We went from hot to hotter to almost-unbearable, but we survived-to-tell-the-tale.

Today it is finally breezy and one recalls what it was like when life was more bearable.

As it was, the days were spent doing as little as possible, airing in the middle of the night in order to shut up entirely the whole day and still suffocating.

Sleep was rather non-existent unless one had a north-facing bedroom.

I bless the day that I changed the windows for triple glaze and more importantly the old wooden frames for PVC as there are now no longer leaks through the wood! Then I installed a ceiling fan – on two it does permit me to sleep – but of course, I am using electricity.

The last of the three elements that have led to better comfort in my bedroom although it is facing the setting sun and exposed to full sunlight as of about 13:00 are the new awnings. Thanks to a friend I knew that there existed a vertical piece in addition to the traditional slanted normal awning. This effectively seals the balcony from the direct sun – although one can see through it fairly well.

Saving the “mattress in the cellar” for the next heat wave.

All this means that ironing anything in the house is a total no-go; have also forbidden the use of the oven for the duration and actually prefer that people living in the house eat cold or heat in the microwave. I prefer going out, but finding a reasonably cool place to eat is also a challenge given that most of Europe does not yet have air conditioning.

So thanks to the early morning shade on the balcony that is where my ironing board has landed. I can iron a couple of shirts, sometimes even three items, without any of that nasty heat getting into my bedroom. A BIG plus, if odd: I am sure that not many people iron on the balcony.

Never mind the glorious view: greenery, lake and the Jura mountains in the distance!

Heat fries eggs and

My brain cells.

 

We are far from seeing the end of the current heat wave here in Switzerland, but already a couple of days ago I announced after a series of blunders, mistakes and other incidents that no one could expect me to accomplish anything if the temperatures went above 30°C and that’s only 86°F!

That day I managed to go to a 10:40 appointment at 13:40 (fortunately the office administrator is very nice and managed to wiggle me in anyway); to step into the elevator that was going down when I wanted to go up as well as punching in floor 4 instead of floor 6 and speak in that interesting (really, you don’t think that I am going to call myself weird) way I have of swapping the beginnings of words or entire syllables such as hot weather becomes wot heather, etc. However I did manage to not make any major errors.

Friday night I went to our local restaurant with younger son and enjoyed only an entrée as it was simply too hot to eat much, then yesterday I drove up to the mountains, abandoning the cats and the house to D-L and R, bless their hearts. To my credit I did find the fan before I left and they are sleeping on the morning sun side of the house so bearable if one airs out in the early morning hours then shuts it up tight.

Although not much cooler here I have the advantage of being sandwiched in between my landlord on the top and their cellar (an old earth-floor cellar, which is a great advantage in the heat). It is slightly less humid here as well since the temperature in the flat is the same of my living room at home, but feels less sticky.

However, for walking it is entirely unsatisfactory the heat!

Yesterday I didn’t bother even going up the mountain and fully intended talking a short walk through the forest after sunset, but it was still too hot so it was a day of no exercise at all. Thus this morning I felt that I really must do something and caught the first cable car up at 9:00.

I sweated, but it was bearable and the views (below) glorious. Followed my own advice and didn’t do more than I felt comfortable returning to the shut up flat at 10:30: a day for staying indoors and drinking liters and liters of water.  I wonder how many brain cells I’ve lost: I do have eggs that I can fry on the metal of my car, on the cement of the porch, no need to bother with a pan!

La Creusaz, Valais, Switzerland

Mont Blanc seen from La Creusaz

Italy's just over the "hill"

Alpine Lupines of all colors

Including the mixed color lupines

including no color lupines

yet another variation

 

And a friendly bird to tweet me on