As I type this, the house is hushed, and quiet. The curtains are drawn against the mid day sun, and a jug of iced mint and lemon balm infused water sits on the coffee table. Earlier, all of the windows had been opened to let in the cool dawn air. Life feels peaceful.
In some ways, heatwaves strip life back to the essentials. As temperatures soar, we move less, want to do less, and seek to relax in the shade. A simple glass of iced water is elevated to something appreciated, and wonderful. We don’t need to be entertained on an evening, or on holiday. A simple drink in a beer garden, a stroll, or a paddle in the sea, is enough.
I really have noticed that during a heat wave, people seem more amenable to simple things being appreciated, and being enough . It might be a plain ice cream rather than a fancy dessert, a cool breeze blowing through a window. A simple vest top is enough, having a snooze in the shade, or the joy of watering the garden in a morning whilst listening to the dawn chorus. Often these small moments are free, but are enjoyed as highlights of the day. People seem to become content with slowing down, pottering in the garden, lounging in the sunshine, and doing less rather than expecting more.
A simple life is usually connected to nature, and during a heatwave people have to change their routine, embrace nature, and work with it, rather than against it.. More individual rise early to do chores, walk dogs, or get their morning exercise before the heat kicks in. Personally, we tend to spend more time in the woods, taking advantage of the natural shade.
In my home, meals become simpler as we don’t want to put the oven on. Salads and pickie meals replace more complicated recipes. We eat less. Clothes dry on the line in a couple of hours, and showers replace baths. Meringues cook in the sun, and herbs dehydrate quickly in the conservarory with no power needed. Meanwhile the solar panels charge the generator to provide free power later. It is no surprise to me that this slower pace of life has the unexpected gift of saving money. In the UK these are the times that the heating isn’t required, and we use less fuel.
I know for some, who use fans and air conditioning, that this isn’t always the case. We are lucky in that we have a really cool room in our house. However, the cost of watering a garden is always there in the back of my mind when all my water butts run out of saved rain water. We do our best by saving cooled, cooking water, or waste water without chemicals. However, nature provides free food to forage , and the garden crops bring daily, free nutrition, with no trips to the supermarket needed.
Living simply isn’t about perfection. There are days when I toss and turn unable to sleep, or my tomatoes wilt in the heat. Sometimes just doing a quick harvest can result in my body dripping with sweat as if I am melting. Those are the times that I appreciate the small comforts that previously I may not have noticed, or indeed taken for granted. A simple shady corner of the garden, a slice of water melon (on offer in Aldi this week) taken from the fridge, a water blaster fight with my grandson. I mustn’t forget those cool, clean sheets on my bed, the relief from my bra stored in the freezer, or the gratitude for the rain when it finally arrives. The delightful patter on the conservatory roof sounding like music to my ears.
Heat waves definitely have a habit of putting things into perspective. I am reminded that my grand parents survived with less gadgets than we now enjoy. They understood the value of thick curtains, cool drinks, early mornings, and a knotted hankie, or scarf on the head. They adapted, found peace in the ordinary, spent less, wasted nothing, and appreciated what they had.
As the temperatures climb, and I feel the sun caress my bare arms, I feel happy. The sun is free medicine, topping up my vitamin D. I am reminded that a simple life is not something I have to chase. It is right here in front of me in the quiet comfort of home. I just have to slow down, relax and enjoy it. What do you think?
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What a beautiful blog, Toni.
This heat wave hasn’t been particularly frugal for us as my husband bought a massive fan. I suppose, though, as our Summers are getting hotter, we will probably get our money’s worth out of it. I do wish it wasn’t quite so ugly, though!
I complain when it’s cold but am complaining now because it is too hot. I am lucky because I don’t have to go out in the heat, although we have a vet’s appointment tomorrow at 2.30pm but it’s less than 5 minutes in a car and they have air conditioning.
I am pleased because the courgettes, cucumbers and squash love this weather and are suddenly producing the right flowers and growing fast. I pick cucumbers daily so we have cucumbers for lunch and we have had salad the past 2 days because we had some of our beetroot to use and cucumbers and spring onions. We had cold chicken from the freezer the first day and tinned tuna the next day. My husband wanted to drive to get some coleslaw but I said we should make some, except we didn’t have cabbage and I wanted it to be like Waldorf salad but I grated carrots and added chopped walnuts, cashew nuts and apple into a base made from mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice and mustard. Then my husband added some sultanas. It tasted fine and we enjoyed the rest for lunch today.
I also found some fat hen weeds in the greenhouse and they went with our home grown salad leaves.
In the evening we are enjoying yogurt or homemade ice cream ( your recipe)with our home grown raspberries,blueberries and any straggler strawberries. It’s good to think we made the ice cream and grew the fruit.
I like sitting outside in the cooler evening and just watching the birds sometimes flying across the garden. I think they are going to their trees or bushes to sleep. We can often hear some foxes in a garden over the back and my husband hopes to see a bat. I am happy when I hear a croak from a plant and know a frog is in there. They often go patroling the garden in the evening looking for food. Sometimes they leap from no where.
This afternoon I am enjoying a cold drink made from the lemon used in the mayonnaise sauce. Later I will be making a jug of parsley water to drink.
I felt cooler just reading this.
And what a great idea to put your bra in the freezer – will definitely be doing that from now on!!
We always have hot summers here in the heart of Texas. Instead of going to an outdoor fireworks show and concert for our Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations, I stayed indoors, in air conditioned comfort, and watched it all on TV. Under the ceiling fan, of course! I only go out in the mornings and evenings to tend to the yard, and I’m staying home a lot more. During the heat of the day, if I am not at work, I am indoors. I do not heat things up in the oven; the microwave won’t heat up the kitchen, so I use that for cooking. But sun tea, salads, sandwiches, watermelon and ice cream are the items most consumed. Life is at a slower pace and I read lots of books, surf the internet and watch TV. Water aerobics (done in the swimming pool) is the exercise of choice, along with swimming. No more long walks in the afternoons until it cools down next autumn.
A very cooling,soothing post. Loved it. I lay on my chair with two fans on and curtains closed 🥰
People tend to think of Canada as always being a cold country but the truth is that we are a country of extremes. It has been in the high 20’sC and 30’sC for the past couple of weeks and with the humidity – felt like 43C some days! However, all public places and transport is air-conditioned and I have A/C in the bedroom and two large fans in the living room so it is all doable.
I assemble meals more than cook over the Summer although I will occasionally get up very early and cook a tray of chicken – much of which goes into the freezer for future meals. Each week I choose a grain or bean or pasta and make a salad. Then it’s greens and picky bits to mix and match things. Other days its just a salad and a sandwich. Today I picked up some lovely ham and some buns and I’ll probably pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken on the weekend – both will make for many meals. I try to keep tomatoes, cucumber, beets and various pickles on hand and with tins of beans, tuna or salmon from the pantry, I am set. I just don’t have the appetite for large or hot meals when it is so hot and humid. The bonus is – I usually manage to lose a few pounds over the Summer – if I can keep away from the ice-cream that is! :-)
I have definitely slowed down in heatwave it’s been intense in the southeast. We bought an expensive fan 6 years ago when we were living in Central London and it has been worth every penny. We live in a large Vicarage as my husband is a vicar. In the summer downstairs is fairly cool but unfortunately it’s very cold in the winter.
But that works for me because I don’t mind the cold so much. I swim outside all year and just now an evening swim in the local open water swim centre feels really special.