Hot, hot, hot

Still Life - Pastel
Found this when having a clear out recently

 I don't know about you, but this heatwave we've been having in London has put pay to most things, and I've struggled to write anything.

I always tend to get up early, and right now it's the best time. I fling open the windows and the patio doors to let in what air there is. My son's pet rats have been suffering too. They are eating less, they lay mainly outside their houses, choosing the litter tray as one option to cool down! We feed them frozen cherries and the occasional dollop of plain dairy-free yogurt (rats are lactose intolerant). They are listless, but always run to see me when I come down in the morning. They know it's treat time!

Ever since I completed jogging one whole lap around the park (yes, I finally did it towards the end of July - it nearly killed me!) I have let my every-other-day jog slip to every two or three days. I've switched to bursts of fast running, which I realise I prefer. I have no goals now, and enjoy just being with nature in the park, and to try to keep fit. However, I've not run since Sunday, the longest break. The thought of dragging myself out in the heat is too much, even at 6.30am.

Writing has also taken a step back. If I can't get anything done by midday then it won't get done, and that goes for everything else! I agonise between sitting in the shade on the patio before the sun reaches me (about 11.30am) and writing. I could take the laptop outside, but it's easier to sit on the sofa with it. What I usually do is use the laptop early and come off it by 10am or so, earlier if I have to drag myself to the shops.

I can't function in temperatures above 30, and we've had that for the last six days. Our house is so hot. There is no one cool room. The other day we moved two patio chairs into the front garden because the sun had gone off from there, but it was still stiffling, plus we live at the end of a road where a busy bypass runs. My son took a reading of the noise level. It came out at an average of 60 decibels. Heat and noise - not a great combination.

I have, though, in the last few weeks, started a new project. I am attempting to write a Novel in Flash. The first attempt I liked, but I didn't feel quite worked. So, I embarked on a second. This one seems better. I did some research into novels in flash, and what I gleaned was that they consist of a series of short stand alone stories that are linked and form an arc of a novel. I've only read one example, which I felt was a bit disjointed, but I am having as go anyway, and really like what I've written.

I have also just started an online poetry course. This is the first week, so it's early days, but I have managed to produce a couple of new poems on this week's theme.

This morning when I came downstairs it was raining. I flung open the windows and let in that wonderful fresh smell. Now the sun is breaking through and temperature will rise, but I think the worst is over. Storms are forecast, and over the next few days temperatures will slowly recede. Maybe I can get some decent sleep, get out for a run, find my brain again!

Stay cool everyone!