How do you keep cool in this weather?

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rayray119 said:
There no such thing as cooler here it's currently 34 degrees right now and already going to get up to 31 degrees tomorrow by 10 oclock not looking forward to that
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Well, depends how cool your house is! It's currently about 32 in my flat, and I think the outside temperature is slightly lower, and will go down to around 22 (maybe).

I agree tomorrow will be worse. The forecast suggests it'll be 31 by 9am, which is crazy. I may take the bus to work (to the nice air conditioned office) rather than walking.
 
Still too warm outside!
Sorted the tomatoes out, boosted the timer on the drippers, the soil is drying out already, (I'm doing the opposite, and came in)
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Well, depends how cool your house is! It's currently about 32 in my flat, and I think the outside temperature is slightly lower, and will go down to around 22 (maybe).

I agree tomorrow will be worse. The forecast suggests it'll be 31 by 9am, which is crazy. I may take the bus to work (to the nice air conditioned office) rather than walking.
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That's the outside tempurte I asked Google 🙂 it is going to get down to 21 degrees but not until 5am tomorrow morning then raise again really quickly
 
AndBreathe said:
This heat is my happy place. I'm sure that's a mixture of lots of time in the tropics and more likely my really broken body thermostat. People are melting around me and I don't even sweat.

Of course, that last bit isn't the greatest.
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That's definitely not a good thing.
Mind you, it could be an advantage sometimes.
 
Athouh I unfortunately
rayray119 said:
Just a heads up the met office are warning people to keep windows and currents closed.
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Although unfortunately as I don't live alone I keep finding windows open around the house.
 
travellor said:
That's definitely not a good thing.
Mind you, it could be an advantage sometimes.
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It is what it is, and nobody seems able to change it. In UK it it rarely a material issue.
 
I’ve been opening and closing curtains and windows all day depending on the sun. I went out and picked the french beans and sweet peas first thing, and did the weekly shop early, then started a book. I’ve just succumbed and set up the fan in our bedroom, I hadn’t needed it on so far but 28 degrees is just a tad on the warm side. It’s still 30 outside, (and the thermometer has been in the shade all day) so I’m gaining on it. Roll on tomorrow when it cools down to sensible summer temperatures.
 
Robin said:
I’ve been opening and closing curtains and windows all day depending on the sun. I went out and picked the french beans and sweet peas first thing, and did the weekly shop early, then started a book. I’ve just succumbed and set up the fan in our bedroom, I hadn’t needed it on so far but 28 degrees is just a tad on the warm side. It’s still 30 outside, (and the thermometer has been in the shade all day) so I’m gaining on it. Roll on tomorrow when it cools down to sensible summer temperatures.
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Forecast in the 40's tomorrow here.
 
It went off the top of the thermometer in the polytunnel 50 degrees plus, both ends open and shading on as well.
Let us hope we don't get a hosepipe ban.
 
I've been staying with my Mum for a few days so yesterday R and I spent all afternoon in car with air conditioning on, which was lovely until we got out of it and into our oven-like house! But we had half an hour of heavy rain last night, which was blissful, except for having to pull in all the windows while it happened - it didn't make much difference to the temperature, but the air felt fresher afterwards - I opened the back door and stood there watching it and rejoicing!

Horrible today though, mid-30s inside and out. We've been doing obvious things with opening and closing windows and curtains depending on direction of sun. We've had cold showers in the afternoon when it's at its hottest. Also frequent application of cold flannel wherever there are veins near the surface of skin - just above collar bone, inside wrists and elbows, behind knees, and inside tops of legs - helps cool down.

And I've seen recommendations to put your (clean!) socks in the fridge for a while before putting them on as cold feet helps your whole body cool - not tried that one though. Sitting with feet in bowl of cold water would probably have much the same effect.
 
Installed two aircon units last year, (and added more loft insulation), which also heat in the winter, I was fortunate to have some money gifted to me as my house gets very hot upstairs due to large window areas and the way it faces, got fed up every summer not being able to sleep, hate the heat, love the cold, odd really as I was born in Fiji and spent most of my child and teen years in the tropics. Together with an air conditioned car I am pretty much sorted. Have checked on elderly neighbours to see if they are ok and to tell them to come over anytime, but they seem happy and uncomplaining, puts me to shame really, that generation are tough cookies.
 
As you can see it’s very early and I’ve been awake for an hour! We live in a three hundred year old sandstone house so downstairs is like a cave, lovely and cool. Unfortunately, upstairs gets quite warm. I tried the close the curtains and windows trick yesterday, I think it did work but it did feel ,stuffy in the bedroom last night. We’re up north so aren’t getting the near 40s temperatures. We topped out at 31 on our weather thingymajig yesterday.Our sensor is in the shade all day. It was still 24 degrees at 11pm. We have lots of natural shade in the garden but also a parasol and a sail stretched across the garden. I’ve had a flask of cold water to hand all day. Came into the house during the hottest part of the day. Eaten lots of cold salads and just discovered how to make frozen yoghurt which was lovely. Today is supposed to be hotter so more of the same. No going out to exercise, light housework earlier in the day and just relax in the shade with my book. It’ll all be gone by tomorrow so I’m making the most of it. 😎
My grandson has had special permission to dispense with his school tie! :rofl:
 
Eddy Edson said:
40's and hardly anybody with air con - reminds me of when I was a kid ...
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Old age and complacency now for me.

I've worked and holidayed in hot places with temperatures in the 40's, the UK isn't geared up for it.
Some places, like the Middle East, from dress to natural light coloured buildings and pavements, to air con even in the streets now.
America always had air con from the first window rattlers.
Europe, light buildings, big flat roofs to minimise surface area absorption, open courtyards in the middle to give shade, fountains and water in the streets to provide natural cooling, and a siesta mid day.
The UK is built on rain and dark mornings and evenings, and keeping the heat until now.
 
Just to show karma exists....

I was having solar panels fitted today. (Yes, they insisted today was fine)
So an 18 ton truck pulls up this morning, with a pallet of panels, electronics, cables, but no fitters.
No one answering the phone.
So rather than send it all back, or refuse delivery and have it going around for several days, I now have a room full of solar panels stacked against the walls and a pile of boxes.
Which I carried in with the driver, having stripped the pallet down in the road.
(His first delivery, hopefully his last like that, he commented)
Eventually, after an email to the MD, I get a phone call saying the fitters had tried a job this morning, but it was too hot, and they had called it a day.
Can they come tomorrow.

So, I'm hot, sweaty, out of my sandals and in my toe tecs. ROFL

That'll teach me to feel smug about the weather!
 
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travellor said:
The UK is built on rain and dark mornings and evenings, and keeping the heat until now.
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Here it's the opposite - traditionally, built for summer, freezing & drafty in winter 🙂
 
travellor said:
Just to show karma exists....

I was having solar panels fitted today. (Yes, they insisted today was fine)
So an 18 ton truck pulls up this morning, with a pallet of panels, electronics, cables, but no fitters.
No one answering the phone.
So rather than send it all back, or refuse delivery and have it going around for several days, I now have a room full of solar panels stacked against the walls and a pile of boxes.
Which I carried in with the driver, having stripped the pallet down in the road.
(His first delivery, hopefully his last like that, he commented)
Eventually, after an email to the MD, I get a phone call saying the fitters had tried a job this morning, but it was too hot, and they had called it a day.
Can they come tomorrow.

So, I'm hot, sweaty, out of my sandals and in my toe tecs. ROFL

That'll teach me to feel smug about the weather!
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That would be an example of "taking the p*ss"
 
We visited South Africa in an August and I have never been so cold in my life in the evening and night. Shorts and teeshirt until 6pm when the sun went down, then huddled round a Calor gas heater with many layers on all evening and stacks of blankets on the bed for the night.
So much difference between day and night.
My laptop tells me it is 37 degrees, fan on with bottles of ice in front, windows open as there is a bit of breeze.
 
Peppermint oil works miracles, you can put it in a humidifier and/or on your wrists.
It will give you the same experience as AndBreathe, other people go crazy and you won't even perspire.

Obviously also keep windows and curtains closed untill the temperature outside is lower than inside.
 
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