A Summer in Spain

[BENIDORM]

HATE IT....... HATE IT....... HATE IT !!!!!

There I've said it. !
I've spent the last month or so in a darkened shuttered room.
The air-con full on..the faint humming noise will live with me forever.
I've sat motionless watching repeat after repeat of Flog-it,CSI, NCIS, war and cowboy films made before I was born and Place in the Sun.....aaagghhhh....

I had a sudden surge of energy and moved slowly to the window, where with great effort I raised the blinds, after all I just had to see if all other life forms were now extinct.
The bright light hit me and I had to protect my eyes with a well thumbed copy of Daltons Weekly.
Outside a seductive Senorita walked slowly past my house ,her ample bosom swelling as she gasped for air..
In her hand she clutched a quickly melting ice cream on a stick.
She moved it slowly to her mouth, her eyes tightly closed as she licked fevourishly at the the dripping ice cream.
I enviously watched her.
The ice cream in her hand was of more interest than anything else to me...
I had to have it...the ice cream ...that is..
I shuffled slowly to the kitchen,and with great effort wrenched open the freezer compartment of my fridge.
The blast of cold air hit me, I felt a crescendo of happiness as I reached for the ice cream.
Pure Bliss...
Oh... am I so glad that the temperature has dropped a little this last few days...

Do I still like living in Spain ?

Yes of course I do...but not in July/ August....

VIVA ESPANA...

CU...Gordon ( The hot and bothered one... )

[Julie]

Nicely written as usual

[ajtg1952]

I always enjoy what you write, Gordon, but this time I have to take the complete opposite tack. I love July and August. I do not sit in the sun but I walk and work in the sun. As long as I am moving I revel in it. It is also nice when I do not need a sweater in the evening and July and August are the only two months I do not have to have one to hand. It is also the only two months I go into the pool. Once it's below 25 deg.C. I'm am finished for the year.

I have found this summer a bit cooler as I did last year. The best for me was 2009 when it was over 40 degs. for nearly two weeks. Bliss.

[Roz]

We haven't had a summer here in the north west of England. Typical bank holiday weekend, it is as I write pouring down and the forecast for next week is that it is going to rain and become much colder! I can't wait to get back to the heat of Spain next month.

[Devils Advocate]

Can't win Roz..........we spent July over there at the house and I have to say for once I agree with Benidorm, I was bloody glad when the plane started rumbling towards the runway to set off back to blighty, may think twice about July next year.

Having said that, I went to the Woodvale Rally, (next door to you) the other weekend and got so soaked I had to kit myself out with dry clothes procured from an army surplus store.........guys gave me a bit of stick for that..........it was cold as well for August and had me wondering why I wanted to get back home early from Spain in July.

I suppose if it's not 23.5 degrees all day long and all year round I'll/we'll always have a moan

[katy]

September is the best month in andalucía. Usually still warm in the evening and all the northern spanish have left No massive queues in shops or on the roads. We always tried to get away for a bit in July and August. TBH weather hasn't been bad here, one dreadful day last week but the garden needed it. We are both very tanned, think it's because if we do sit in the garden it's in the sun whereas in Spain it would have been somewhere shady. Or it could be from the wind when we went sailing with friends

[littleeak]

My OH totally agrees with Benidorm & loved the ice cream description!

In her hand she clutched a quickly melting ice cream on a stick.
She moved it slowly to her mouth, her eyes tightly closed as she licked fevourishly at the the dripping ice cream.
I enviously watched her.
The ice cream in her hand was of more interest than anything else to me...
I had to have it...the ice cream ...that is..
I shuffled slowly to the kitchen,and with great effort wrenched open the freezer compartment of my fridge.
The blast of cold air hit me, I felt a crescendo of happiness as I reached for the ice cream.
Pure Bliss...

[Mowser]

To come out for a week in August is probably no big deal. The problem with living here full time is the build up of heat from June onwards. I can cope with July but next year we're spending August in Scotland.

[Paula]

I can say I hate it. I've hated it for years. When I think back I was one of those people who jumped on a plane in August for 2 weeks, hotter the better, and spent every waking moment in the sun
Now I have sunshades on windows, parasols, barely venture out between 12pm - 8pm, and can't wait for September. Plus you get nothing done, it's just too draining. I think it is true that it is a build up, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to take weeks and weeks of freezing weather either in Canada during winter for instance.

altg1952 - all I can say is I think you should seek medical attention

BTW Mowser 23c - 03.50am

[annfoto]

A brilliant piece of descriptive writing.
For me the trouble with July & august is boredom. It often makes a lot of sense to stay indoors most afternoons but it gets boring!

To come out for a week in August is probably no big deal. The problem with living here full time is the build up of heat from June onwards. I can cope with July but next year we're spending August in Scotland.

That is a tempting thought, Edinburgh during the festival
Sadly not to be with 4 dogs and a small fruit farm to look after.

[BENIDORM]

Nice Folks..I appreciate your kind comments...Muchas Grassy-Carts...

No one should be listening to me whinge on about the hot weather, in a few months time I'll be harping on about how cold it is.
In fact I'm worried that I'm turning into a G.O.M ( Grumpy Old Man )...

But I do think that perhaps it depends on where you live and your circumstances.
I now live inland and it really has been so hot, on our patio it has been in the 40's most days....

'Yikes'... I hear you say..

We've only been venturing out after 10pm,walking along with other members of the Undead .
We would stroll around the village at night in a stupified state, avoiding anyone who appeared to be carrying a wooden stake and hammer...
Every now and again we would stop and grunt a greeting to our pale faced neighbours..
At the break of day we would scurry back to our Mausoleums, to suffer another day of intense heat and more repeat tv programmes.....

''Devilled Advocat'' added....
'' Got so soaked I had to kit myself out with dry clothes procured from an army surplus store''........

Kenny...I can't get rid of this vision of you dressed as a Japanese Kamikaze Pilot....

Hasta Wotsits.....Gordon....

[olive]

I agree with your sentiments Beni. I too dislike August. July although perhaps normally the hotter month here isn't too bad because the house hasn't warmed to the core and beyond like it has by August. When we have visitors they want the windows open to take in the "light" and magnificent vistas. Never mind the house then heats up.

We have tried everything including air con (wake up at 6 frozen to the core), sleeping outside etc etc and have concluded a fan on low is about the best thing.

The locals here can't understand the North European mentality of flinging their clothes off and getting 12 hours of killer sun on their un suncreamed bods. But then they don't live somewhere where the sun don't shine!

Spare a though though for those of us working in this heat, at least the pensioners can watch Countdown and have a doze.

If I could I would do like the Spanish and go away for all of August to somewhere cooler.

[katy]

The Costas are full of spanish in August although the more "gentile" people go to places like san sebastian. The coast is cooler, not so bad for people on holiday sat on the beach and taking dips in the sea. We lived only minutes from the sea but it felt more comfortable heatwise on the beach than around the pool. As Paula said it is day to day living that takes it's toll. I wouldn't take a holiday anywhere in August if I didn't have to. Couldn't sit in the house with blinds down, I would get depressed

[peteroldracer]

Our village has just emptied of all the folk who come for a month to escape the heat of Madrid...one man's heat is another man's comfort?

[Free at Last]

The Costas are full of spanish in August although the more "gentile" people go to places like san sebastian. The coast is cooler, not so bad for people on holiday sat on the beach and taking dips in the sea. We lived only minutes from the sea but it felt more comfortable heatwise on the beach than around the pool. As Paula said it is day to day living that takes it's toll. I wouldn't take a holiday anywhere in August if I didn't have to. Couldn't sit in the house with blinds down, I would get depressed

Are the Spanish people who come to the Costas in August mostly Jewish, then, Katy? I had no idea.

[Mowser]

The Costas are full of spanish in August although the more "gentile" (sic) people go to places like san sebastian

I assume you have proof of this?

[katy]

The Costas are full of spanish in August although the more "gentile" people go to places like san sebastian. The coast is cooler, not so bad for people on holiday sat on the beach and taking dips in the sea. We lived only minutes from the sea but it felt more comfortable heatwise on the beach than around the pool. As Paula said it is day to day living that takes it's toll. I wouldn't take a holiday anywhere in August if I didn't have to. Couldn't sit in the house with blinds down, I would get depressed

Are the Spanish people who come to the Costas in August mostly Jewish, then, Katy? I had no idea.

There are different meanings to the word if you tear yourself away from the biblical sense. The word comes from Latin. In spanish gentil can mean "nice". Other meaning is "the same family" so colloquially it can be interpreted as "nice middle class polite people" I presume it was used in old formal spanish as my Grandfather used the word occasionally. However, in answer to your question a lot of Jews do stay in the best marbella hotels during August and there is a significant Jewish community living there permanently.

[katy]

The Costas are full of spanish in August although the more "gentile" (sic) people go to places like san sebastian

I assume you have proof of this?

As much proof as any of the posters on here have about anything and everything! Are you taking over from Julian then

[Free at Last]

But in English, the word usually used in that context is genteel.

[katy]

So why didn't you just say I had spelt it wrong instead of making sarky remarks when you knew all along what I meant. I thought it was spelt similar to spanish gentil.