Thoughts on a heatwave

I don’t care how many times you’ve heard this now, but it’s bloody boiling isn’t it?

I came back from my holiday in Spain a few weeks ago expecting (and hoping for, I won’t lie) cooler weather. What else would you expect when heading back to the UK?

NOT FOR IT TO BE JUST AS HOT AS THE SPANISH COAST!

Now, obviously, I’m not complaining (much) because London is glorious in the sunshine, but only if you’re sat in an outside space sipping a refreshing – preferably alcoholic – beverage. If you’re on the tube, bus, in a car, office or your own home, however, you just have to accept that you’re going to boil and mention the high temperature every five minutes.

The other morning, at around 3am, myself and the boyfriend both woke up and immediately said “are you, like, really warm?”. Having clarified that the early morning temperatures had only cooled to about 24 degrees celsius, I decided to relocate to the sofa due to the fact that if he so much as breathed in my direction, I overheated and snapped “will you stop that!”. Heatwaves are not helpful in relationships.

I had also been drinking a fair amount of Prosecco with friends and apparently that does not keep you hydrated in hot weather – it just makes your head feel like it’s about to explode (a bit of advice that you probably already knew).

In a nutshell, we are thoroughly unprepared for heatwaves in Britain despite the fact that they are occurring more often. For example…

No one tends to have aircon or any kind of way of cooling down our homes and workplaces. We have one fan in our bedroom and it has been used so much these past few weeks that it’s starting to make confused noises as if to say “shouldn’t I be back in the closet by now?”.

The bugs! Oh, the bugs. Due to the aforementioned lack of air cooling systems, we have had to keep every single window open in our flat and it seems like most of London’s nature has paid us a visit. Personally, I’m not at all bothered by bugs (I only freaked out when a hornet flew into the living room) but my other half most definitely is. I was rudely awoken at 4am the other day because a spider had crawled over him and his reaction was to swat the duvet (but mostly swatting me) for about 10 minutes.

Our summer wardrobes seem inadequate. But we’re too afraid to go buy new, cooler garments because we’re afraid the summer weather won’t last. It did last, and we have suffered through in our regular clothing, but we know the moment we head to Oxford Street and buy a bag full of shorts and flip flops the heavens will open and we will be reaching for our coats.

Ultimately, though, this heatwave has meant that I’ve been out and about and enjoying London as much as possible. I’ve been drinking summery drinks in parks, on rooftop bars, in pub gardens and outdoor markets. I’ve basically been getting through this heatwave by sipping cocktails and eating ice creams. And, of course, moaning about how hot I am.