And the heat goes on..

[olive]

I thought it was all over after temps dipped last weekend.

Yesterday was horrible. Heat haze or dust meant the visibility here was reduced to between a best of eight km and a worst of around 4 km. Not as hot during the day but last night it was 28C until it dropped for one hour to 24 betwen 6 and 7a.m. before hiking back up again.

Grim for those of us that cannot cope with the nightime heat.

[patricia]

I know it is awful and there does not appear to be an end in sight either. A bit of a drop of one of two centigrades next week I think but it is now so humid you do not notice the tip. The spanish weather forecast says it will be mid September before anything changes!

[oliveview01]

It was dreadful here (near Sevilla) last night, no air moving about so even the windows wide open made no difference. In the end I moved the sofa so it was right under the ceiling fan and slept there!

[Wicksey]

It's the humidity that makes it feel even worse now. I hate this cloud cover - it's certainly isn't cooling the temperatures at all.
Our living room was over 32 degrees at 6am this morning on one of our night time walkabouts. I seem to wake every hour and my bed feels like it has an electric blanket full on. We have two fans on in the bedroom all night long which is the first time we've ever had to do that. If July was the hottest here on record, I wonder if August will follow suit? The heat is cumulative, and after several weeks of this already I have had enough now thank you! (And it's not just me ... my OH is hating it too).

[patricia]

Have your tried what I do. You freeze those little blue box´s and then wrap them or one or two in a thin towel or kitchen towel would be better and put it against you when you are in bed. Lovely and cool, a bit like a hot water bottle only in reverse

[chrissiehope]

Or spray your bedding with water which will evaporate & cool

[patricia]

You can put your sheets in the freezer for a bit obviously wrapped up in plastic to stop them from getting wet, the pillow case too.

[El Cid]

On the basis that an ice cube in my G&T lasts about two minutes, that's not going to give you a cool night.

As for the wet sheets, that's only a temporary fix and after the water has evaporated the humidity is even higher.

Either solution is good if you are one of those lucky people who crash out immediately and don't wake until the morning, but if you regularly wake up in the night it's not going to help much.

With night temperatures this high the only real solution is forced cooling, preferably AC but if not, a fan is better than nothing.

Sid

[costakid]

We do not like air con in the bedroom so for us its windows wide open and the fan on oscillate. Only on speed two otherwise it keeps me awake more than the heat does.
A friend has just commented that with no blue sky its like being in the far east. Seems the cloud is making it very humid.

[patricia]

The blue ice packs that you get to put in picnic baskets Sid lasts for hours not a few minutes or a few hours. Ice cubes yes do melt very quickly but I am talking from experience and I am talking about the ice packs that you use for picnics and that is why I have spoken about it. I wake up at about 3am and even then it has not completely melted but I exchange it for another one which lasts until the morning and it is a very good way of keeping cool in bed.

[IreneD]

Good tip, Patricia - I'll try it. I do the spraying the sheets thing (and myself) and, with the fan on, it does help cool me and the bed down temporarily. I've got so exhausted, I've resorted to sleeping pills the last two nights but I don't want to make them a regular habit.

[El Cid]

It's been cloudy all morning, but 35º and humid. The sun has now come out and it's up to 38º and climbing.

The mean temperature since the beginning of the month is the same as the record July figure so it certainly isn't cooling down yet.

The smallest bedroom (which is used as a study) has AC so we run that during the day as somewhere to escape to and cool off for half an hour.

The only other alternative that I can think of is fake your death and spend a few days in the fridge at the mortuary. If that's a bit extreme you could try spending all day in the supermarket in the cheese department in front of those great big refrigerated open cabinets.

Sid

[patricia]

If you place the pack where there is a thin membrane of skin Irene it cools the blood as it passes around the body and you can feel the difference; use two and put them in two different places you will feel where they are the most comfortable for you and if you can and have enough in the freezer and then replace them when you wake up during the night, you can also use them to cool the bed before you retire for the night. Hope it works

[El Cid]

It might be less complicated to sleep in the fridge. You could try that when your new fridge arrives

Sid

[BENIDORM]

Sid Quipped....
''The only other alternative that I can think of is fake your death and spend a few days in the fridge at the mortuary. If that's a bit extreme you could try spending all day in the supermarket in the cheese department in front of those great big refrigerated open cabinets.
Sid''

Well usually the hot weather makes most people grumpy, but it seems to be having the reverse effect on Sid, or maybe he's won the lottery or had a good afternoon down at the pub?..
Regards,
Gordon

[Wicksey]

The only other alternative that I can think of is fake your death and spend a few days in the fridge at the mortuary. If that's a bit extreme you could try spending all day in the supermarket in the cheese department in front of those great big refrigerated open cabinets.

Sid

In the winter we do not hang around by the fridge and freezer areas, but now we linger longer by the yogurts and in the shops generally as they are cooler than here Trouble is, you really notice it when you have to emerge from the airconditioned luxury. The windowledge fan in the bedroom works pretty well and then the ceiling one wafts it about it bit more, but the house isn't cooling down at all now and seems to just stay as hot night and day. Hopefully not many more weeks to endure.

[El Cid]

Well usually the hot weather makes most people grumpy, but it seems to be having the reverse effect on Sid, or maybe he's won the lottery or had a good afternoon down at the pub?..
Regards,
Gordon

Maybe it's because I am sitting in my study with the AC on and its only 26º in here Even the ice in my G&T isn't melting faster than I can drink it.

Outside it has now climbed to 39º. I shall go out later and get grumpy again

Sid

[patricia]

It might be less complicated to sleep in the fridge. You could try that when your new fridge arrives

Sid

It actually is not that complicated at all. You have them in the fridge already! and then when you go to bed you take them out wrap them in a tea towel, settle yourself down and just place the packs where you are comfortable. Easy peasy and you are off to sleep in no time all nice and cool.

[kexon]

For me its not the heat,although it was 42c on our shaded patio the other morning and that was at 11am!We dont normally have the humidity,last couple of days have been awful,it just saps your energy before you get going in the morning.

[IreneD]

Thanks, Patricia - I have 2 in the freezer, will try it.

Sid, your advice is helpful too

Wicksey, I actually find I am eager to go shopping this weather, spend ages in the big supermarkets and even have a walk in El Ingenio to get some exercise, from one end to the other.

A friend called in today and took pity on me mopping my sweaty face and insisted I have a swim in their pool. Bliss! I do envy people their pools this weather, thank goodness for kind friends