It’s Hot.


It’s hot in Sydney right now.  Damn hot.  People are scuttling between stores in search of fans with many retailers already sold out days before the start of this current heat wave.  Workplaces have issued mass emails urging everyone to make sure as many lights and power points as possible were switched off before the weekend.  Events have been postponed on account of the risk of heat stroke for participants.  So far, the threatened power cuts because of our grids not being able to cope with surge in demand this weekend have not been wide spread.  Touch wood.  But I’ve got my torches and battery packs fully charged and ready just in case.

The heat has been energy and concentration sapping.  Interestingly, simply putting pen to paper while sitting in front of the fan was all that it took to get me writing this afternoon.  It’s been years since I’ve handwritten a draft as opposed to thinking out loud and editing on my computer.  Wavy lines through sentences, arrows from one sentence to another, numbers in front of paragraphs and at the tops of pages.  Who said blogging isn’t a craft?

Something else rather low tech that I’ve taken to in this heat is reading real estate listings in the local paper.  The prose!  It practically demands to be classified in a non fiction (or fiction as the case may be, sometimes a house in person is worlds apart from how it presents through words and pictures…)  genre of its own.  I’m just struggling to think of something snappy and sales promoting to call it.  Realtor reality?  I’ll get back to you.

Apartment blocks have ‘an unparalleled profile in the eyes of the nation’.  With views over the Bondi to Bronte walk, I guess the author does have a point…

while ‘a spectacular ancient Moreton Bay Fig tree and well established Magnolias’ add to the charm of a ‘modern’ family home.  Reading and gazing at photos is so much more civilised than attending home opens.

Necessity being the mother of invention and all, I’ve been doing a bit of DIY around the house to avoid having to go to the shops to try and fix things.  A favourite scoop necked black T that accidentally got bleached in one spot?  Nothing a heavy going over with a permanent black marker can’t fix.  Or not.  It looks as good as new in this photo but not quite under real life lighting conditions.  But I might just have to grin and bear it because I can’t find fitted scoop necks in the stores anymore and it is getting rather late into summer as far as the retailers are concerned.  They’re all already in the autumn / winter zone already.

Tried my hand at cleaning some tarnished silver jewellery this week.  The internet is awash with potential DIY options.  The first I tried involved lining a bowl with alfoil, then pouring some laundry powder and hot water in before soaking the jewellery for a minute or two.  This worked fairly well and gave my silver back some of its shine.  Not as good as new but better than what it was.
 
Surprisingly,  hand sanitizer did the trick on more stubborn tarnish.  Who knew?

We’re heading into evening now and the mercury is not budging. It’s still 42C.  While I know my laundry will definitely be dry, it’s just too much effort to go and take it in right now.  Might just stay where I am and keep my fluid intake up with another can of blood orange San P while I contemplate what to eat for dinner.

I think it’s going to be more watermelon and pineapple.  Maybe after some cheese and crackers.

How are you coping with this heat?  Hope your electricity hasn’t been cut.


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