Heatwave!

'We're having a heatwave.....A tropical heatwave!' 

Yes, throughout Andalucia, we are officially having 'a tropical heatwave'. Incredible that, in a regon already noted for its sunshine, it should get even hotter. According to the news, temperatures this week-end and for the next few days will be in the 40s. It must be so because my two cats, Gabriel, my Ragdoll, with his long, thick fur coat, and fluffy Phoebe, heavily pregnant, refuse to leave the relative cool of the house. They lie close to their water bowl in the kitchen, drinking copiously or just dipping their chins.

Sitting in the shade of my leafy arbour, reading, a week ago, 21st June, the silence was suddenly broken. Out of the blue, literally, a noise arose that quickly reached a deafening crescendo; a million whistles whipping up to a crashing roar: The cicadas! The heralds of summer heat.

Life takes on a different pace; much slower with drinking water always to hand. I am especially grateful for my pool. Seldom does a day pass without an afternoon swim; yesterday evening I was still in its cooling water at 8pm. The water temperature hasn't yet topped 28C which is just perfect. I don't complain about the heat: it's one of he reasons I chose this region. Despite the chlorine, which I keep to a necessary minimum, the pool attracts all sorts of wildlife, day and night: a giant toad, swallows swooping and dipping for a drink, pretty wagtails, butterflies and numerous insects, including water-boatmen who appear out-of-nowhere to play in its depths.

So saying, I am off for a dip as the outside temperature has just reached 42C!