The UK is expecting a scorcher today with a possible high of 42C. This will be unprecedented if it gets this hot.
Many people have asked how we’re coping in Aberdeen but Aberdeen rarely gets hot and we’ve been hovering around 20C or just below the past few days. Today the forecast is for 25C here. Our home is also granite which does not absorb heat and never feels hot to touch. Granite used to be used for ice houses for this reason.
We’re also lucky to have lots of trees in our yard and just over our back fence. Whenever I go to the shady part of the garden it’s always lovely and cool. I’ve never understood why people want to remove trees. A friend of our recently sold her house and the new owners chopped down all the trees. They’ve removed nature’s air-conditioning to give themselves an ugly view of the block of flats next door. Why?
Many homes along Deeside Way no longer have trees over their back fence. I know that in at least one case this is because the owners petitioned the council to have the trees removed. Our house is one of the few that still has all the trees and as long as we live here they’ll remain.
I wonder if this hot weather will motivate people to make changes to their lifestyle like flying less, switching to a plant-based diet, walking and cycling more? Without these kinds of changes we’ll just continue to see hotter and hotter summers over the coming decades. It will get cooler towards the end of this week and everyone will forget. I am more pessimistic than I used to be. People don’t want to make changes themselves.
If anyone is struggling in the heat today I have a good tip which I learnt from growing up in Brisbane without air-conditioning. Take your t-shirt or shirt off and completely drench it under the tap. Then wring it out and put it back on wet. Let it dry naturally, then repeat. This works really well and I used to do it over and over throughout the day on hot days.
rachel.blog 