Today it is 41 degrees celcius, tomorrow is forcast for 42 and yesterday, I think it was 39. I existed yesterday on a diet of coffee (despite the heat), cordial and an excessive number of welsh cakes that my mum had brought over with her.
Yesterday was Saturday and the day of the multi-layered clensing garage sale I have been planning for the last week. Despite my prior nervousness at potentially making a balls up of it I think it would definitely rate as ‘SUCCESS’. We had fun times and good friends and I managed to sell a whole bunch of my stuff that I am culling from my material universe.
Despite yesterday’s success, holding a garage sale is not a recommended activity for very hot weather! In lieu of this I have decided to make a list of 10 things I like doing in really hot weather to stay cool and generally avoid heat stroke, sunburn and other associated badness. With water awareness/restriction as it is in Adelaide, there is no longer the much loved method of running through the sprinkler in the front yard to cool off. I dare say the neighbours may also be slightly alarmed if they saw a 28 year old stripped down to just her undies to have a dash through the spray.
By 5pm yesterday we were finishing our garage sale pack up woozy with heat, tiredness and hunger. After much indecision from general fatigue and a few well earned ciders, we finally motioned to move to sushi train. Sushi is an excellent hot weather food, light, low commitment and good for sharing. It’s made even better if you can follow it up with a sneaky spin past Gelatissimo! Yum.
This is when my decision was made to make a list of activities great for a hot day / night in Adelaide.
My top 10 suggestions are as follows;
1. Go to the movies – fail safe, tried and true. Probably best to go to one of the big complexes, preferably in a shopping centre with undercover parking. This option gives you maximum chill time with MEGA entertainment options and means you won’t roast in the car on the way home. The only flaw in this plan is that most everyone will probably have the same idea as you, so be prepared for crowds.
2. Go to a garage sale REALLY early in the morning (before it is officially wilting temperature) and buy up a bunch of old puzzles/ cassette tapes/ magazines / clothes / books / roller skates. Anything that will keep you entertained inside for the day. Put on the air conditioning and enjoy.
3. Go on an ice cream tour. Make sure you have not eaten lunch and take a tour of different ice cream places, trying something different from each one.
4. Pull out some of your own old photos / diaries & CDs and reminisce with (Insert embarrassing band name here) providing the very loud soundtrack. Put on the air conditioner.
5. Have a water fight with pistols and water balloons; this actually is still really fun as an adult! Quickly reapply sunscreen afterwards.
6. Make gourmet ice blocks at home with fresh fruit and fruit juices. Eat them all day.
7. Hold a board game party. Make everyone bring a different flavour of cordial and put on the air conditioner. (This one works with beer too)
8. Teach yourself something by researching it online. Mine is ‘how to build your own website’, but yours could be anything. ‘How to make friendship bracelets’... ‘How to write brail’... ‘How to trade on the stock market’... you get the picture.
9. Go night swimming, (this is one of my absolute favourite things to do) nothing beats the beach at night!
10. Go Ice skating. This one is easy for me, as I live practically on top of the ice arena @ Thebarton
If all else fails and you are in Adelaide city, stand just in the entrance of Target Rundle St... There is a certain spot which is perfect for both really hot and really cold days it seems to have its own microcosm.
One of the best things about this weather is that you can wear just about anything and nobody is gonna care. You could probably wear pasties and a denim g and attract no more than a cursory glance. When EVERYBODY is too hot to care the judgement metre gets dialled down a long way.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!!
That way I’ll get to have a giggle to myself when I see you cruising down the street in a terry towelling bikini, footy shorts and a fruit bowl hat.
When I lived in Radelaide my #1 strategy for dealing with hot days was hanging out in the 4-degree rooms in the School of Mol. BioSci. at uni. Then again, didn't have a/c at home...
ReplyDeleteYes! I am so fortunate that the place I live at the moment has killer airconditioning (it's like a fridge!). So it is pretty much just a case of doing all my favourite inside activities. But I have done my time with wet towels over pedestal fans to try and cool down. Libraries, shopping centres and friends swimming pools were my favourite hang outs!
ReplyDeleteIf you work in hospitality... walk in cool rooms and keg rooms are awesome.
I am wearing a onesie. And I am 29 years old. And we DO have aircon at home.
ReplyDeletefill a little kids wading pool up with freezing water and ice the challenge your friends to stay in the pool the longest
ReplyDeleteif you have any left over ice cubes just put them in your friend or siblings t-shirt and watch them run around screaming around your backyard
oh yeah cool summer ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
ReplyDeleteits literally been rain the last couple of weeks
ReplyDeletenow it bloody boiling
ReplyDelete