Keeping cool.

[happyhumph]

Swim in a friend's pool helps a lot, or a cool bath/shower before bed.

[Bren In Pots]

One thing we do is to leave the loft hatch open so any heat will rise and leave through the eave vents.

[happyhumph]

I work outside so have moved my afternoon customer from 12.30 to 5pm to stay out of the worst of it.

[1Bee]

Hate heat. Loathe it. Start feeling ill over about 21C....

Soak a towel in cold water, wrap it around the back and sides of your neck. If you can get the towel against the big veins in the side of your neck it is really effective at cooling you down. One very hot summer I was out morris dancing and was really suffering when one of our dancers who had lived in the far east showed me this. It was amazing and kept me up and dancing.

Another time we had a (successful) world record morris dancing attempt on Scarborough beach. After record attempt, we danced in the sea in our kit. Glorious!

I'm currently sleeping on an air bed in the living room, which is the coolest room in our old farm cottage. Thick (damp!) sandstone walls keep it mostly cool, except the skylights in the upstairs make the upper floor quite hot.

I measured our small backyard (essentially an old byre with the roof off) and bought the deepest paddling pool I could get that fitted exactly in the available space. A sheet pegged from the washing line to the wall makes a shade, and the kids are jumping in and out of that.

I'm in an air conditioned office today, but the meeting rooms don't have air con. I took a selection of ice lollies in a bowl of ice plus two large jugs of cool water to my last meeting. I've already warned Husband I'll be late home, as it's cool in the office, but outside is currently too hot to support life, in my book. I went to a shop to buy the lollies and almost crawled inside the freezer...

I once went to a conference where the accommodation was student flats at the university. It was so hot in my room I dragged my mattress down the corridor to the kitchen, where windows open on both sides created a breeze, and slept under a wet bath towel. I caused a certain amount of consternation for those seeking an early cup of tea, but at least I slept.

I have a tendency to try and fix problems, even if the fix is slightly unconventional.

[Snoop Puss]

Here's an article with tips on the BBC. Quite like the idea of a cold (rather than a hot) water bottle in tip 5
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-4907...F5TE7onPMFBJKw

[bikermike]

I'm drinking beer in the dark with the fans going and the windows open.

[boatsman]

I heard from my brother-in-law that Amsterdam has a day temperature in the 40s C; hotter than here. We have airconditioners in all the rooms and keep the blinds down during the day which is very effective. Also all buses are airconditioned so you only feel the heat when you get off the bus.

[Miss Mousetrousers]

I too used to love the heat but can't do with it now because it's the humidity that gets me. We live in an old cottage so that helps to keep things a bit cooler and OH uses a tall fan on full blast to help with his breathing. Another tip is to run the cold tap then put your wrists under it for a couple of minutes.

[ESBkevin]

Many of the southern european houses used to have vented shutters on the outside. Whilst they can keep out a storm, they are best closed when the sun is on the window to deflect the direct radiated heat. You can still have the window open behind for a gentle draft. I'm tempted to put them on my 1980s terraced house that has a south facing wall, although one of those portable aircon units may prove cheaper and easier in the short term.

[Snadger]

OH has the wood burner on in the other room just now!