Trying Something New

    Weather continues brilliant (or awful depending on your preference) with it still in the 30's. We are promised cooler nights next week which will help somewhat. We did have some heavy rain yesterday and it did go somewhat towards eradicating the drought. Another storm, please, that would really help! At least I haven't had to cut the grass much recently as it has basically gone dormant.

   I haven't done much gardening this month as it is just so hot out there, but have been keeping myself busy with reading and a jigsaw puzzle. Today I made sausage rolls with plant-based sausages. They look like the real thing but how will they taste? I will have a couple for dinner tonight.

Still Suffering From the Heat

     Thunder rumbling around this afternoon, then the sky got really dark and it rained for about twenty minutes. Of course, back to blazing sun right after. We need a really heavy downpour, everything is so parched. I have been cowering inside as it is still up in the low 30's and not cooling off much overnight. No relief in sight. Later I will go and have a swim and will feel more like eating dinner. Cooking is out of the question!

Shouldn't Complain, but........

    Still very humid and steamy. I have given up on my daily walk as it is just too hot even early in the morning. Instead I have started to swim lengths each day - I'm up to twenty (the pool is small!) but that takes quite a bit of effort so I don't think I will be increasing that any time soon.

    We are still getting out on the tennis courts, usually from 8:00 a.m. to around 9:30. Sunday's game was interesting, Kathy and I took the first set 6-0. this is really unusual as, no matter what combination we play in, we are usually well matched. I guess the other two had a slow start. The second set (with a different combination) was much more even.

   I have shown off this hibiscus plant already but this is the first time it's had two blooms at the same time. Unfortunately it is losing leaves at an alarming rate, probably due to the hot conditions.

August News

    Nothing much has changed in the last week. My pool heater isn't working again - the guys are coming tomorrow to fix it, hopefully - but it is still hot here so the water is reasonably warm and I am swimming every day. 

   Regarding one of the books I wrote about last week, The Bookseller of Florence, it is a non-fiction and extremely well researched and well written. However it is a heavy read (both physically and mentally), more like a text book than my usually reading fare. I have been to Florence so that aspect of it is interesting. I am plugging away at it - it's fascinating how much is known about people and events in 14th century Italy - but it is definitely not a light summer read!

   That's it for this week.