Glad that's over

 The extreme heat, that is.

Another annoyance the other day......my new air fryer, that I'd had precisely a month, packed up halfway through cooking some homemade pizza dough bases.  It just stopped, and there was a smell of burning coming from the back of the machine, no smoke though, thank goodness.  So I spent 20 mins in an online chat with an Amazon person, who agreed to process a refund if we send the thing back.  I didn't want a replacement as, to be honest, following my first flush of enthusiasm I'd come to realise it wasn't as good as I first thought - for what is basically a mini fan oven, it didn't cook very evenly at all.  Ah well, never mind.  Think I'll stick with the gadgets I've already got, rather than cluttering up the place with more.

I've been using my treadmill for 10 mins twice daily, except for the last 2 days when I only used it in the morning, at a relatively slow speed.  The morning session is fine, I find it harder on the evening one, by that time I'm tired and my leg/hip hurts more when I've been on my feet most of the day.  But I'm happy to be using it, it's a start, and I know I'll be able to walk longer at a higher speed in due course.  Don't think I'll be trying the hill programs anytime soon though.

I won't be using it for the next week or so though, as we're back off to the caravan tomorrow morning, now it's forecast to be a lot cooler, with even some showers (which the garden really needs).  We've coped reasonably well with the heat, Betty included, although Monday night and yesterday morning were pretty awful until we had a brief but fairly heavy shower and one mild rumble of thunder.  Basically, we stayed indoors most of the time, with the windows and curtains shut at the front of the house (south facing), and wide open at the back where it stays cooler as it's north facing.  Betty was taken out early in the morning and after 7 pm in the evening, when it was cooler, with a very quick couple of minutes in the garden for a wee during the day.  She's drunk loads of water and mostly slept in front of the fan and seems fine.  I put washing out on the line before 8 am and it dried very quickly, of course.  No cooking was done for the past couple of days, we've had salads.  Sleeping at night has been the biggest problem, Monday night being the worst as it was boiling hot all night, but hopefully we'll sleep better at the caravan.

We used to live in Gibraltar when I was a child and I remember it being very hot there - my Mum got heatstroke and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance the very first time we went on the beach.  The heat didn't seem to worry us as kids over there, but this country isn't used to such extreme high temperatures is it, although apparently we're being told that it might occur more frequently in future, due to climate change.

Husband's built the open fronted cupboard for the new caravan microwave, which fits perfectly with plenty of ventilation space, now he's just got to fix it to the wall, attaching it to the battens already in place.  He's done a good job, surprisingly - he got the measurements right first time (he frequently doesn't) and it looks very nice.....some of his 'builds' can look a bit thrown together sometimes, using oddments and non-matching offcuts, giving them a distinctly patchwork appearance.  Which is fine for an item for his shed, not what I want in the caravan though!

Our next door neighbours here at home are having a big family get-together and bbq in the garden this coming weekend, there'll be lots of cars, children and noisy games, so it'll be good for us to be in the lovely peaceful caravan park.

I seem to have been on my feet and busy doing loads of odd jobs, as well as the normal stuff, every day since we came home last Wednesday.  As the heat drains my energy and sleeping has been nigh on impossible I'm shattered, and stressed up to my eyeballs with stuff going on again.  So at the caravan I shall be doing next to nothing, I need to rest.  

I doubt we'll be growing any produce next year now, other than the fruit trees already in the garden.  Husband just hasn't got the enthusiasm to do any veg gardening anymore, and I don't have the time (or the inclination, or healthy enough joints and back).  I've asked that he keeps the lawn mowed and doesn't let the garden become an overgrown wilderness, that's all I expect of him.  With us spending so much time at the caravan, it's a problem to keep the produce watered anyway.

The windows people rang again yesterday afternoon, bit more notice this time, they want to come next Wednesday.  We'll clear the windowsills and take down some of the curtains and blinds today, husband is coming home for a couple of hours at the weekend to water the produce, so he'll take down the rest of them.  Then on Tuesday evening he'll come home, leaving Betty and I at the caravan, and he'll stay home until the windows are done - they reckon it will take 2 days.  So I get some time on my own (well, with Betty, but that's no hardship) at the van - whoopee!