I’m standing in my kitchen, waiting for my pyjamas to crisp-up.
I’ve placed them in the freezer, next to a bag of petit pois, a hack that has recently gone viral on social media – along with a slew of others – as yet another heatwave swelters much of Europe.
I live in Yorkshire. God’s Own Country: renowned for its rainy weather and misty moors (see ‘Wuthering Heights’ for reference) – but temperatures have hit 32C this week, and aren’t expected to drop down to a more manageable 24C until Sunday.
For southern Europeans used to 40C summer highs, this may not seem like ‘extreme heat’. But remember, only five to seven per cent of homes have air conditioning in the UK, our houses were built to keep heat in, and we don’t get to have siestas in the middle of the day (at least not without getting fired).
At 8pm, my thermostat reads 24C, which means I’ve successfully kept some of the heat out by keeping my curtains shut, keeping the conservatory closed, only opening windows in the morning and night – if the outside temperature drops – and avoiding significant heat-generating appliances like the oven.
