A Place in the Sun
Well, that was a summer to remember. Our house was built by Westbury Homes in the early 80s. It's pretty cheaply constructed, and was designed for grey drizzly summers with the occasional, fleeting appearance of the sun. That's what we got in the 80s. It doesn't cope with summers like 2026. We were roasted alive. Poor Bella, our little black cat, was even worse off. She took to lying on the dusty soil beneath a fuchsia on the shadier side of the garden. It was still putting up a fight for survival, and retained its leaves throughout the Great Roasting. It did well, as the grass had gone, my runner beans were shrivelled and tough, the apples dropped early from the tree, and the rainfall measurement was at 15 drops.
We had a 4 night trip to Woolacombe during one particularly hot spell. Helen claimed it was savage at home, so we did feel somewhat guilty. Woolacombe was glorious, however. Perfect summer temperatures, the warmest sea in Britain that I ever remember swimming in, lovely views. The cycling, however, was murderous. If you weren't going up you were going down. Steeply. Twistily. No fun. And they had horse flies that gave painful bites. Frequently. It became a little irritating, so we were happy when it came time to leave.
A few weeks later, we took a trip to Turkey with Lily. We'd planned and paid for it back in February, otherwise we might have switched the destination to Iceland. We stayed in a beautiful hotel, and were cooled by the pools, the cocktails and the fabulous air-conditioning. Not so the majority of the Turkish population, however. Goodness knows how they cope! And they need to work in that heat. Stepping outside of the hotel complex was like taking a hot shower with your clothes on. Grass didn't try to grow there, nothing was green. Everything was dust. No, Turkey is not where I'd want to be.
Shortly afterwards I went to see my lovely friend Zoe in Guernsey. I left Paul behind with Bella to enjoy the 37°C and had 4 fabulous days of beautiful summer weather. Cooled by sea breezes and crystal clear sea swims, we could walk without perspiration and sleep soundly between dry sheets. Heavenly. It's a really beautiful island, and I can see why she moved there. We can't afford to live in Guernsey, however, and they have rules to exclude folks like us. Shame.
Then, as news stories were hinting at further heatwaves in September, we set off for 19 days in Scotland. We certainly escaped the heat, I have never seen so much rain! The grass here is lush and green, the streams and rivers full. Water abounds. I have spent the entire time wearing just 2 pairs of trousers because the shorts I brought have not been needed. I used my last pair of clean socks days ago - I was expecting to wear my sandals some of the time... That would have been foolish anyway, as when the sun does come out, so do the midges. And they love me! I am clearly a foreign delicacy that they can't get enough of. We have enjoyed Scotland. Lots of lochs, big mountains, beautiful islands, friendly people that speak nearly the same language, but it's not the place for me either. Far too wet and bitey! It's been the perfect antidote to an overly hot summer.
Ross-on-wye regularly hit the heatwave headlines, and changes may need to be made to our house for us to survive future summers, but it's the best place I've visited yet. I've not found a place I'd rather live. I just hope it's not raining when I get back!
Maybe see you at yoga before we're off to New Zealand next month. I really need some sessions as Ben Nevis did terrible things to my knees.
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