Radiant Heat and Food

I'd never have believed that it could be hotter in Europe than in Florida.The day of our arrival, we had to brace ourselves against 39 C whereas in Jacksonville it was only 32 C. It feels like melting. If only it melted the fat! Fans were sold out of course -we tried 3 big shops in a big city on the way. Nobody has AC, or course, except for hotels that belong to chains (not your local B&B or picturesque old tourist trap) The official news reader on TV issues practical advice what to do to stay cool:
-put underwear and shirts into your freezer before putting them on
-avoid activities and staying in the sun too long
-keep windows and blinds closed all day until it cools off (I don't like sitting in the dark!)
-put  a bucket of ice water next to your bed.
I wouldn't have believed I would have the same old, same old discussion again: get an Ac or not.Europeans mostly don't have one, i.e. private houses and I mean neither the French, nor Italians nor Germans who now exceed in topping temperatures too.
The usual argument against AC being: we normally only get a few weeks of heat.A few weeks too many in my books.What are they worried about? That the AC goes off when not in use or runs up the electricity bill when switched off?
My memory has 1990 down for the first real beastly hot long summer with temperatures above 30 (90F).
Before that, Germans had to go to Spain, Greece or Italy  for a chance of a decent sunny summer vacation.
All of a sudden, you could bet it would reach you at home.It was the summer we had emigrated to Ireland. Even there we had long spells of hot weather almost reaching 30 and our water well running dry.
Mother-in-law refused my suggestion to have an AC put into her bedroom under the eaves at least.Oh, no, the dust, dirt and having handymen in the house;besides the almost indecent cost of 2000 Deutsche Mark (1,0000 $ then).
In the following year we had the same discussion; and then regularly every other year. Stubbornness prevailed and she would still suffer if she was still alive.RIP!Now I hear it from friends etc. Not one conservation partner swore that he would definitely get one now!
Why this long tirade? Because  now, we are sitting in an overheated house with no end of roasting temperatures in sight, scorcher after scorching day while our house in Florida....is being enjoyed by  our French exchangers.
However, with the daily increasing refugee crisis in Greece, Italy, Hungary, Turkey rattling my European conscience, I promise to stop whining about hot weather.
Here are some pics from our stop in Metz.

Still in business?
The bus was from Northern Ireland- Ulster- btw.

An adventure and a challenge

Our garden here

This morning we woke up to a head splitting noise at 8o’clock sharp. Next door they are renovating their house and the workmen chose to start their day with a drilling machine or maybe even a jackhammer. Just like in real life, I mean that could happen both at home, or even in a hotel with a construction site nearby. Our exchange partners had mentioned the fact of some renovations but that it was quiet at present. Well, until now. The company at work is a central heating, bathroom installation outfit; so the fun might go on for a while. We should be up and about at this time of day in this gorgeous weather anyway, but since hubby works late –due to the time zone differences between USA and Europe—this doesn’t seem to be doable.

Swapping homes, living, cooking, and washing in other people’s houses is an adventure, sometimes even a challenge. But hubby said it broadens your horizon and keeps you young. I can’t argue with that.

Every house is different and has its own idiosyncrasies. Here for example I hang my wash in the basement while the sun is shining like never before. There is a gadget in the basement to hang the laundry out outside but we’re too lazy to install it. Until we arrived the weather had been bad and the owners never bothered either. Who hangs out their wash in the rain? Well, I did many a time on the farm in Ireland. An experience that isn’t worth repeating.

On the other hand, I need to mention that it annoys me that we’re not allowed to dry laundry outside in FL.  As far as I know from American TV most other places don't tolerate it either. People are vehemently against having their knickers on the line for everybody to see and vice versa. All of that while FL is basking in too much sun most of the time. Being an avid environmentalist –hence our emigration to Ireland years ago- it troubles my conscience. For years I've been meaning  to write an article about this issue. A neighbor’s argument that laundry outside gathers too many pollen and triggers off allergies never convinced me in the light of wasted energy and global warming. So while I step down into the darkish basement, our Germany exchange partners will most likely be irritated by using the drier in almost 40 degrees Celsius and have that as a conversation piece on their return. We do dry our beach towels on the porch, however, and so will they, I’m sure!Mum's the word!
Our porch in FL.

The Heat is on...

Not only in the States where temperatures are searing but also in Germany where we are going...in 3 days!  (And there will be no AC!) My old saying 'Time flies whether you're having fun or not' was modified this week on FBby a cutsie to 'Time flies- remember: you're the pilot!'
Today, however - not so much. I thought we'd be packing by now or at least tidying up the house and storing stuff away into the owners' closet. But hubby starts sanding a wall in the house. After the sanding machine was repaired, of course! How come tools are never where you saw them last or not in working order? When the wall is dry -after 24 hours- it can be patched up and then, eventually painted. I had just touched up that wall a few days ago in preparation.
But we're speeding up the drying process: I hear the hair dryer going incessantly. So much for conserving energy. So there is hope!
Those of you who read last year's blog will remember our 6 Big Berthas including one that just had tools, adapters, cables, connectors, you name it. This year we are going to reduce them! Promised! Now there is problem with his work laptop. 'How big is your desktop monitor? If they fail to repair it, would it fit into a suitcase?'
I feel a migraine coming on...