Crematoria

Well, the UK is unbearably hot again. I've been coping pretty well, for the most part. I'm grateful for that but I hate the attending anxiety puddle as a result of worrying about the mercury continuing to rise.

I'm obsessed with checking the weather app for the horror of seeing the forecast change. With the best will in the world for being prepared, it gets to a point when no fan, iced water etc. can rescue me.

I'm incredibly lucky that I work from home and I'm so grateful that I haven't had to contend with public transport, but it doesn't take much for me to overheat.

It gets draining being so precious about it. I want to be able to do things. I already have to be so careful about planning around any activities with my usual nonsense, that it just feels unfair to have this as well. I hide as much as I can when it's really hot. It's been 30°+ here these last few days. I can keep all the blinds and curtains closed, and have fans going non-stop, but it gets to a point where it's a just a flimsy plaster on gaping wound.

This weekend, we went to the cinema to see Superman. It did feel like a minor victory to venture out at all. Thankfully, both Ubers were air conditioned and the cinema itself was fine, I only needed to really deploy my handheld fan during the final quarter. When we got home the air was fresh enough to enjoy a beer in the garden.

It's the evenings that hit the most. It's kind of a national joke that our houses aren't built for this weather and retain the heat uncomfortably. It's horrible to wake up in the morning after having to lay starfish style all night in front of a fan and wake up with nasty dehydration headaches despite drinking so much water. It's like waking up to do battle.

Except I'm tired and drained and woozy.

I had a moment yesterday evening where I was overheating and I'd gone into the kitchen and it felt like the floor had tipped under my feet and my vision abruptly narrowed. It was only for a few seconds and I quickly deployed the ice pack. It's just a bit miserable really.

We have lovely plans this weekend which I'm really looking forward to but already feeling anxious about what the heat will be like and how I will deal with it. I want to have a good time, obviously, but I also don't want how I feel about the heat being so intrusive amongst friends. I hate that kind of attention being drawn to me. I just want to enjoy my time with my friends without worrying about spontaneously combusting.

I have as much of a plan as I can have though. I will be packing my handheld fan, my misting fan, water, face wipes, and a bobble and headband if it gets bad enough that I need to get my hair off my face and neck.

I've had a chest infection this last week but that is getting better so I can hopefully take this week to chill out as much as I can. So far, it isn't forecast to be as hot as it has been this weekend but I'm sure I will be keeping a close watch on the weather app.