Oh man it is so HOT here in west central Scotland! They are talking about it being the hottest day of the year and possibly the hottest day on record EVER for parts of England. I know some people love summer and could sit in the sun all day but this weather makes me so miserable! Some of my US friends will scoff at 26C being classified as too hot but Scotland doesn't get this kind of heat regularly and a lot of us just aren't used to the heat and humidity like this. Our summers are generally mild with only the odd really hot day, so I've really hated this week! I overheat very easily and even sitting indoors with the windows wide open is not helping. I'm hot, sweating, tired and grumpy! I've barely slept most of the week and it looks like a few hot days still to come. Ugh. Winter Is Coming. Eventually!
This week we also had the excitement of a new Conservative Leader and new Prime Minister. Those who know me well will be aware of my love of politics. When I left school for college I tried to get into a social sciences course so I could look at pursuing a mixture of politics and journalism but was one grade short of what I needed to get in. I was gutted and ended up going through a variety of business courses that I had little interest in, before ending up in airport security and then the NHS. How I wish I had got that grade but I know I worked as hard as I could at the time and could do no better. I'd have loved to have been active in local or national politics or reporting on it! I do love election nights in both the UK and US, the UK leadership contests and votes of no confidence!
I love seeing Cabinet re-shuffles and who replaces who. Yesterday was so exciting, seeing the bloody cull of top Tory politicians, recoiling in horror at a couple of appointments and cheering others, watching the exchanges in Parliament...I'm definitely a political animal these days! The good thing about a change of government is that means a pile of new political books coming out in October about Brexit and the outgoing Theresa May, so I'm already pre-ordering! I have a pretty big political book collection, mostly on UK politics. I'm even considering for the first time ever, MAYBE joining a political party. I'd love to be able to vote for a new leader or go to the convention just once! I think it would be a blast!
Away from politics, I'm slowly starting to work on my Autumn Reading List which will run from September 1st to November 30th. My Summer version has been a great success in keeping me motivated to read so I look forward to a new challenge. I need to think carefully about the books I choose as the Autumn Challenge will take in Spooky Booky Month and the SF challenge in November, so careful planning will be required. I also need to ensure that any books for reading challenges get put on to that list so I can complete them before December, leaving just my Goodreads Challenge to focus on and all my end of year blogging! I don't usually get a ton of reading done in December due to finishing stuff and planning for January challenges. I want to stick to mood reading during that chaos!
Any interesting plans for the weekend? Done anything interesting this week?
Sorry you're sweltering in such unexpected heat. We've been at 35C all week here in Utah, but then it always gets that hot here in July. So I am resigned to the heat until September comes. Hope you cool down soon!
ReplyDeleteI could not deal with those temperatures every summer Lark! That must be really terrible! I imagine AC is a neccesity!
DeleteWe in Alabama are used to temps that near 40 degrees celsius, so it's hard to view 26 as remotely uncomfortable. We're enjoying an unexpected respite from smothering heat and humidity...right now it's 32C and windy, but it feels like heaven as compared to the last few months.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your SF challenge...I'm in the midst of a classic binge, in the hopes of finishing my Classics Club challenge a few months early.
But that is your normal temperature for summer so you guys are more used to it, even if you don't like it. We're getting way over the normal temperature for the UK and it has been prolonged so people are really suffering and we don't have AC either. The high end of the average temps for July in our area are usually 15-17C...we're getting 26-32! England is getting up to 38C in places.
DeleteI know how draining the heat can be. Last weekend had heat indexes of 105 for several days with no real cool down at night. Poor Cass was on house arrest despite wanting to go out. It finally rained Sunday evening and we walked in the rain. When I saw all the political stuff going on I immediately thought of you. I know how much you enjoy that. Hope you manage to stay cool!
ReplyDeleteWe've had double the average temps here for a few weeks now. I seem to have a permanant headache and I'm not eating much at all. Poor Cass must be miserable as well and the poor guy won't understand why he can't go out. Those Us debates seemed like proper free-for-all time!
DeleteThis is the first time in decades that I've loved summer. It's so much cooler here and with a constant breeze.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I do miss and why I feel bad feel bad for you - is there's no central air like in FL. That makes ALL the difference. It is super hot in FL but everything is designed around that.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
I'm glad you are finding summer better in your new place! I can deal with the heat if there is a breeze but today there is zero!
DeleteI'm with you on the heat, i hate it! I've been joking all week that I'm too Scottish for this heat but it's no joke! We hit 31c today. 31c!! It's vile.
ReplyDeletePeople laugh when I say I almost died of the heat (because I had no idea how to handle it) when I first moved down here 9 years ago but I wasn't joking... It was a heatwave summer then too.
The political stuff is interesting at the moment but I'm trying to just take in the basics for all the commentary (especially with regards to Brexit) is doing my nut in.
I'm too Scottish for summer too! You have been getting it worse in the south for sure! If there was a decent breeze each day I could cope but there seems to none, not even at night. Winter Is Coming-I hope!!!
DeleteWhat gets me is that these Remain MPs would not be yelling for second referendums had they won. If they had fun they'd be yelling respect democracy and no need to vote again! That Lewis Goodall is driving me mad with his bias against the Tories and Brexit!
I'd probably like Scotland then haha because I'm not a fan of the heat either! I like a good sunny day, but not the excessive heat and humidity. anyway hope you get a cool down.
ReplyDeletePolitical changes are exciting for sure. I love watching all the maneuvering and what not too. :)
I love that spooky reads are coming up- the fall always puts me in mood for stuff like that.
Scotland would feelnice and mild to you I think! Winters aren't too savage either with minimum snow!
DeleteI do love all that political stuff! I wish Brexit could just be completed and over with though! A few of those Democrats in the debates this week sounded like right idiots!
My favorite thing about work is that the buildings have air conditioning. It’s been around 32C here for the past few weeks. Wearing a work uniform in that heat is brutal. I hope you enjoy your political books! I just got Fear by Bob Woodward, but I haven’t read it yet.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I've never worked in any job where there was AC. The hospital is unbearable during summer for staff and patients alike. I used to hate that! I have Fear on my bookshelf waiting to be read too.
DeleteUgh it's been hot here as well! I recently got back from Denver, Colorado in the US where it was 100 - 110 each day we were there. But it was a dry heat, so it actually wasn't too bad! Returned to New Hampshire and when we left the airport doors... we all went "AH YUCK!" It was 95 and SO HUMID! The humidity is so much worse than dry heat!! We were not happy. lol!
ReplyDeleteUgh Erica that sounds like a total nightmare! I remember how hot and dry it was when I was in Dallas in May. So hot and the taste of dust in my mouth all the time. Yuk! I hate that slimy feeling when the humidity grabs you!
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