dimanche 21 juin 2009
My first two summers here in Provence, 2005 and 2006, I thought I was going to die from the heat. When we went to Bretagne in August 2005, it was a relief- finally, a break from the heat.The next two summers, 2007 and 2008, were tolerable.
Hot? Yes.
I'm-just-gonna-sit-in-my-underwear-in-front-of-the-fan-all-day-long? No.
I'm afraid it goes in two-year cycles.
I can always tell how the summer is going to be by when we have to mount the fan on our bed.
Yes, we have a custom, integrated temperature-controlled bed.
That sounds way classier than "fan strapped to our bed", right?
Every year, after a few nights of restless sweatiness, we decide to break out the fan and attach it, using bandanas, to our bed. We have air conditioning, but the way it is positioned, the air doesn't really make it into our bedroom. Otherwise, I suppose we could sleep in the living room, but when I get up and get ready for work I would disturb Alain.
These past summers we didn't have to install the fan until mid-June.
This year? End of May.
Sometimes we leave it on all night, sometimes we stop and start it.
The only problem is that I can't stand the actual cool air blowing on my skin, so I have to sleep under a sheet, which slightly defeats the purpose.
So I am afraid it is going to be a long hot summer here in Provence.
On the other hand, the official start of summer (according to me) wasn't until Friday. That is when I first heard the sound of the cigales (or cicadas), which is later than normal. It is sound that has very much come to represent, in my mind, the sound of summer in Provence.
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4 commentaires:
Why not point the fan at the wall above the bed? You'd get the benefit without the air blowing right on you.
when was that heatwave? 2004? were you here for that? it was incredible...one afternoon we ran away to niolon/carry etc and slept on the beach just to get some relief
I think we bought the only house in Provence with air conditioning...we had to crank it on last week...it was that, or melt...
its true that the heat there is killer
but i would do anything to be back there right now