Sunday 29 August 2010

Hot Winds and Cool Waves!

I know I go on about the heat here, but having spent much of my life living in the UK and before arriving down here on this little island, we spent several years living in Holland. It’s not surprising that these really hot windy days more than take my breath away.

Although this last week has been hot, around 29c the really hot winds that came in last night came as a surprise. At around 9pm the wind got up and sitting on the terrace you could feel it was warm. Hoping it would turn a little cooler to take the dogs out we hung on. But by 11pm it was still very warm and so we decided we had to take the dogs for a walk and the seafront would probably be cooler. On our way down to the beach we met our friend who warned us that it was even hotter on the seafront. So much so that she had spent the last hour in the sea with her little doggie and suggested that’s what we should do.

As we walked along the seafront the wind was blowing strongly and the heat was amazing. We looked along the shoreline and saw many people in the water. It was clearly the best place to be even after 11pm!

 

So taking our shoes off, with the dogs still on their leads, we trudged over the warm sands down to the shoreline. Our latest doggy has never been on the beach so we were interested to see how he reacted to the ripples of the waves as they gentle crept along the beach. As soon as we walked into the water, Poppy, our first doggy turned and stood the length of her lead away from me with her back to the sea! Sadly this little doggy had been very badly treated and we suspect had been thrown into pools and water, hence her reluctance. We had hoped that after the years of living with us, she might not be so afraid, so not wanting to distress her, I stayed with her as CB took Barney down to the water. To our surprise instead of jumping in and enjoying the water, which he normally loves, he licked the salty waves and then ran back. It seemed our doggies were not interested in the ocean and cooling down so with sandy feet we trudged back to our shoes. But before putting on our shoes we went to the foot showers and would you believe it at 11.30pm we had to queue!



But if we thought last night the wind was hot, we were in for a surprise when we got up this morning. By early afternoon the temperature in the shade and in the garden was just 7c degrees difference – 40c in the shade and 47c in the garden. The doggies are flat out in our office in the villa where the AC is keeping them cool and were we are trying to catch up on writing and work with the occasional dip in the pool to cool down. It seems we could have this wind for a few more days. I just hope the forecasters are wrong!


10 comments:

BaggieAggie said...

Gosh, that does sound hot! And poor little Poppy - thank goodness she now has you. x

Rosalind Adam said...

Initially your comments about the heat sounded inviting but I wouldn't like it quite so hot. When it's hot here in the UK (not very often!) I get up early to walk Josh-the-dog. He won't go into the sea either. He's terrified of the beach and once did a runner up a steep cliff. Keep cool and enjoy your pool.

Pauline Barclay said...

Hi BA Thanks for your words on Poppy, she is great now, frightened of her own shadow most of the time! And she hates the water, which is a bit of nuisance sometimes when it is so hot! x

Pauline Barclay said...

Hi Rosalind yes we too take the dogs out as soon as it is light.It is our first job then we all come back for breakfast. This morning we managed it, but I don't think we will be making it tonight. This heat is really dangerous. It is not normal,but what weather is these days?
Thanks for stopping by...hugs x

Helen Hollick said...

Our dog, Rum, was scared of the sea until he plucked up courage to try it one day. Can't keep him out of any water now. Smelly stagnant ditches especially! LOL
I'll be stealing your night-time sea-dip description for a future Sea Witch story... pirate! LOL

Unknown said...

I know I've been envying your heat but I think that would be too much for me.

Dogs are strange creatures, aren't they? One of mine would swim from dawn till dusk. The other? If it's very, very hot he'll sit in it for a second or two, so long as it's no deeper than a couple of inches. :)

Pauline Barclay said...

Hello Helen thanks for stopping by and yes you can steal my words, though can't think what I've written that you might want...but hey ho no probs!

LOL at your Rum in the smelly water...! x

Pauline Barclay said...

Hi Shirley, yes the heat was too much and is not normal at all...phew!

Not sure we will ever get Pops into the water she is just too afraid...poor thing!

Thanks for calling and please come back. x

Julianne MacLean said...

Your doggies look adorable. Sounds pretty hot in your part of the world! I'm in Nova Scotia, and it's usually cool in the summers, but this one was a scorcher. I hear we are in for a bad winter, however.

Thanks again for visiting my site!

Chris Stovell said...

Cute dogs... and I wouldn't mind some of that warm air over here!