Posted by Here in the UK we like to talk about the weather.
Wow it’s hot right now. I mean, we’ve hit 30°C. I’ve spent the majority of the day sitting in a car dropping Mrs OddFather to an airport 70 odd miles away as she escapes from me and the OddDaughter goes on holiday over the next week.
And because us British people enjoy talking about the weather so much I figured I may as well create yet one more article on the world-wide-web on how to survive this heatwave. Despite it being only for one day before it hammers down with rain tomorrow. Maybe I can do another article tomorrow about how to survive flooding in the UK.
Driving with no AC
Ok, I should have changed my car many years ago. But every year it’s a case of ‘next year’. With that risk, comes the risk of driving a car with no functioning air conditioning. You know what? Just crank open the window on the motorway and stick to the speed limit. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t get caught listening to Enrique Iglesias when sitting in standstill traffic. The fresh air was kinda nice as it blew through my hair. Though ‘fresh air’ is probably not the right term for what is mainly car fumes. To be fair – when I was younger, my dad didn’t have AC in the van we travelled around in. So, I figured I should just deal with it. Granted we also used to travel with no seatbelts whilst sitting on a sofa at the back of the van at the time. I probably wouldn’t encourage doing that.
Dealing with toddlers during the night
Toddlers are difficult at the best of times. The OddDaughter takes after me with her stubbornness with routine. She has to sleep with the same duvet every night. How do you successfully explain to a 2 year old that it’s just too damn hot for a duvet? I’ve tried and failed many a time. The solution? Don’t explain anything. Just take the duvet out of the cover, and leave the thin cover sheet in the bed on it’s own. She has yet to figure out anything has changed at all. It’s about time I got a win over her!
Taking a cold shower
This is a common one that everyone talks about. I do like my hot showers but after putting the OddDaughter to sleep I had to try it. I thought I’d try a lukewarm shower first. No difference. So I turned it down a notch. Still no difference. And so it went until I was at maximum coldness – and my God it felt amazing! It was a bit like the scene in Captain America: The First Avenger where they’re turning the dial to expose Steve Rodgers to maximum “vita-rays” to allow for his transformation to Captain America. Only, I had no audience. Or Chris Evans’s body.
I’ve spent 5 minutes trying to find a gif of that scene from the movie. But no luck. So here’s Zoidberg instead…
Drinking strategically
It’s a good idea to drink bucketloads of water throughout the day. However, don’t make the mistake of drinking too much before bed. What you’ll find is you’ll have to wake up several times in the middle of the night to take a piss. Or even worse – you’ll wet the bed. And most likely it’ll be warm urine so you’ll be doing yourselves no favour whatsoever.
Relaxing and making the most of it
Ultimately, don’t complain. Because when it rains tomorrow we’ll miss the sun we had today. Instead, do what I do – forget the need to put on any clothes (apologies for the overshare) and open up a Gin and Tonic can.
