Summer has returned, with a vengeance

Last month we had cool and cold weather. Then a day of warmish weather, then cold again.  Now we have 39 to 41c  (102 to 106f)days, and 26c (77f) nights.  The wall our bed is against is hot to the touch.  Guess it's a good thing I have to pile pillows so I am in a reclining position. They at least insulate me from the wall.

We have kept the a.c. on, set to 25c (75f) at night.

It's been so hot, that our solar water heater needed to be bled, because it was gushing water from the relief valve.  Wing managed to, under the instructions of Solarhart, to do the job. He was told if it happens again, give them a call. Luckily it's under warranty.

Trance went after Groo-bear again. She really didn't get a good grip on him, and he fought back!  He is no longer the scrawny scared kitten.

I've been staying off Facebook, as it's just not good for my mental health.  Just too many instances of "Not my circus, not my monkeys". And it's sad because it's just a few people fucking it up.  I am under enough stress in my life. I really don't need any more.

Oh great…

It rained just enough to turn the house into a freaking sauna.

A bit of plant care and bird watering

In this heat, what is left in the bird baths evaporate almost overnight. Scrubbed them all out and refilled with with fresh cool water. I could hear the birds in the Jacaranda, gum, bottlebrush and Geraldton Wax trees where it had just been silent a few seconds prior to the fill up.

Went into back yard, give the poor little orange tree a good 'soaker' watering while hanging up the laundry. Then did the same for the potted lime, chilli and catnip plants. Also gave the star jasmine a goodly drink. Really need to get that one into a larger pot.

Got the clippers out, climbed the steps, and trimmed back some 'tendrils' of the boxwood tree. Now the branches are even with the top of the pergola.

With all that done, I decided it was time to re-start doing my laps in the back yard. Got audio book player, and just got into it. Not too long, as it is rather hot out there. Wing said it's 20 meters from pergola post to pergola post.

So 40 meters per lap. Will get up to a kilometer, and then start increasing speed without limping, keeping my steps even. As Wing knows, I can move fast but only if I allow myself to have a limp, and GP/Doc has told me to avoid doing that. Time for some icewater, then go check to see if laundry is dry. In this heat, probably dry by the time I finish typing this out!

Summer Tasks

The new pool cover arrived yesterday and the filter pump arrived today. Turns out the cover isn't the right size, even though the order form says it is. I have informed the seller and he said he would send a replacement.

Filter pump was quick to set up, as I had Alan to help me out. Even with his assistance, we could only do some of the work, then had to take a break because of the heat. Shortly after, I went out and applied the pool scrubbing brush and a long handled sieve and removed most of, if not all, of the leaves and junk floating in the water because of not having a properly fitted pool cover.

Cats are great weather vanes. Keito and Loki keep sprawling out intermittently on the stone floors. Ziggy found a cool breezy spot on top of my wardrobe.

Pillaging and other missions

It was very hot today. According to the thermometer on the car, it reached 42c. We loaded into the car, and headed off to pillage with some special items in mind.

We had seen an SOS from Cat Haven. Many of the cats there have been suffering from heat stress. They requested, pleaded for ice packs to give the cats some relief from the heat. We got three long gel packs, and three smaller re freezable ice packs. Then picked up some kitten food, and a nice big bag of adult cat food. I called Cat Haven to make sure they would be open by the time we got there, as it was later than we expected. I was told they would stay after hours if need be. So, off we went, and dropped needed items off.

And, I didn’t come home with a bundle of purr.

Then off to dinner with Mother in law. It actually was rather pleasant. Maybe I should have said something years ago

To say it's a scorcher is understatement

Currently it's 39.3c. Been hanging clothing out on the line to day, and one load is pretty much dry when the next one is ready to go out. After three loads out there, I'm feeling the heat. And that's with going out with a big floppy straw hat and sunglasses. Portable shade.

Can't use the pool yet, needs one more day of algae treatment (only the slightest bit of green,) so, staying indoors. Not really a hardship. 27c feels so cool and comfy when it 40c outside. Perspective is a wonderful thing.

Not quite melting

I had to get a new swimsuit, because the seam on the back of my old one started unraveling. Didn't snap, just unraveled, leaving me mooning the world. I am very grateful it happened when I was at home. I knew I had to replace it, as the chlorine from the hydrotherapy pool pretty much ate the elastic around the legs, so the suit would be me a colossal wedgie.

Was warm today. Very. It's going to be hotter tomorrow. 40c (104f). I spent about 90 minutes, split between two sessions, in my pool today. Have a feeling I will be repeating that during the heat of the day.

Had nice visit with Jean, Un-son, Robin's mom. Coffee and good conversation.