Yesterday we ended our run of 40 or greater temperatures. It only got up to 37 yesterday, and today we’re headed for 38. It may only be two or three degrees lower, but it’s oh so lovely! It’s a gorgeous, sunny day outdoors, not a cloud in sight, and the air is crystal clear with no dust blowing about, in spite of the breeze. Just beautiful.
One of the commenters, a lady from Italy, mentioned that where she lives, the searing heat of an Italian summer (just as hot as an Australian summer, something many Aussies tend to forget) rarely penetrates into her kitchen because her house is built to withstand the environmental conditions. That means very thick stone walls. Great insulation and it negates the need for air-conditioning. Oh how I wish Australian builders had followed the Italian tradition of house building rather than the English tradition. Even these days, with the benefit of greater knowledge and technology, we still don’t build our houses to truly cope with the hot summers. Would you believe, but even here in very hot Alice Springs there are some houses and apartment blocks built without overhanging eaves??? Wonderful way to let in loads of hot, summery sunshine and cook the occupants. The vast majority of my neighbours run their airconditioners 24/7. The conscientious ones turn them off for a few hours in the early morning, but by 9am you can hear the hum of the machines churning all around you. I’m lucky. My house is made of brick and even has internal brick walls. It’s also surrounded by very deep verandahs front and back which means most of the rooms don’t bear the full brunt of the sun. My bedroom gets a couple of hours of sun on one corner only, so it’s not too bad. The kitchen also gets a wee bit of sun on one corner in the middle of the day, but again it’s not too bad. All this means we don’t need to use our airconditioner until lunchtime on the very hot days (if we’re at home) and it’s turned off by 8 or 9 pm (our nights are very warm, around 23 – 25 with warm breezes).
I thought with the cooler change in weather here I’d be keen to head back into the kitchen for some baking forays, but no, I’m content to just sit here and enjoy the cooler temperature, look out at the beautiful clear blue sky above the mountains in my back yard and do anything but cook. We all need a day off now and then. Apart from making the pizza for tonight, which I will do with great glee because I adore pumpkin and pizza both, I’m not cooking.
