The heat here is really making me sick!! Not kidding!

[Kirsten]

Well, actually I don't know why no one here has a/c. I guess only the very rich people have it, and some public buildings and stores. The price for energy is so much higher here, so I guess even if my apartment had a/c, I couldn't affort it.

Also, many people here think air conditioning is unhealthy. People are getting colds from it, but I figure this happens only as long as you are not used to it. Personally, I think the heat is much unhealthier; in fact, it seems to be life threatening these days.

I already wrap myself into wet towels (mostly around my head), or take showers and let cool water rinse over my head. I also have these ice packages (that you can use for injuries) and wrap them around my feet, legs or neck. I also bought a fan. And I stroke my cats with wet towels, and they actually enjoy it, especially Luna. The become lethargic in this heat, and my mother's cat, Peggy, had a heat stroke yesterday, I posted about that in cat general.

I wish this heat wave would finally stop, but there's no end in sight. Also, our farmers need some rain, their crop is drying up on the fields... What a terrible summer!

Kirsten

[Randi]

Kirsten, I know what you mean and I sympathise - we have a heat wave here too. Yesterday, we had the hottest day on record since 75. It has been unbearable the last few weeks - of course while I'm working. We don't have AC either, but fans are running non stop at work. Sitting in front of these, I tend to get a cold though. I don't have a fan at home, but this huge thing John bought a few years ago, it has a drawer in the bottom which you fill with ice water - only, it's still in the cellar, too heavy for me to get up here, and it takes up quite some space. It can be adjusted to blow hot air too, not that it's neccesary now!! It has been up to 29 in my bedroom when I went to sleep!

However, today we had a few showers and the air has cooled down a bit, hope it will at your place too!

[Barbara]

It IS very hot- but it is not too hot too often- so I anyway prefer it to cold weather.
The A/C thing is an energy thing: you need oil for that and I wonder whether I should use more of that precious stuff ( a quart of gas now is about 1.80 US$) just to cool down. I have my bedroom under the roof- so I close the blinds during daytime and open all windows after the sun is down- and it took all time until yesterday before it was really warm- but thunderstorms are on their way and so it's only a day or two.

My- this is summer- the summer we all dreamt of when we were kids

[Miss Z]

It is so hot here too! I was sweltering walking around Tatton Park today.

As Brody's Mom said, AC isn't installed as we don't expect to ever use it! Plus, all the environmentalists are advising people against it, saying it gobbles up fossil fuels which equals more greenhouse gas which equals even higher temperatures!

I'm sorry that you've been ill Kirsten, I hope the heat eases a bit for you In Germany so you can get better!

[mustlovedogs]

We just got over a huge heat wave here in the Northeast...it was awful! We had a TERRIBLE storm that finally made it cooler here....it's alot more comfortable now! When that storm came, the sky turned literally black...not dark gray or a light black color...it was black! Then there was alot of loud thunder, the power went out at alot of places, the internet line got zapped, there was very frequent lightning, and it downpoured. I am just so glad it is finally cooler here! I'm really sorry about all the heat everyone else is having!