Brrr...

 

 "Sudden drop in temperature" - AI generated image...

I know I said in my previous post that I'd welcome a drop in temperature - but then I had in mind daytime temps getting down to like perhaps just under 20C - not 12...

On Thursday afternoon we reached 32C here (89.6 F). Today, Sunday, it's not risen above 12C (53.6 F) all day . That's a drop of 20C (68F) in 2½ days... Not sure I've ever experienced that before?!

With unpredictable winds and rain showers reigning outside, I've just been staying in today - trying to let "enough" chilly winds in now and then to get the indoors temperature back to some kind of normal - but not too cold!! 

Thunder and Rain

 

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

On Friday afternoon the heatwave that has been ruling here for the past week started to break up, as thunder and rain showers began rolling in from the south-west. The showers have been brief but violent. The night indoors was still hot and clammy, as one could not leave any windows or balcony door open. Nor can one do so today, even if just going out for a short while. 

I did venture out for about 20 minutes around noon today, just for a "breather". I only walked 10 minutes in one direction and then turned around. The three photos above show my view of the sky on the way back. I managed to get back home dry, but shortly after, a sudden gust of wind blew shut the balcony door with a big bang (I had opened it wide when I got back in) and the heavens opened again. (The folding umbrella I had brought with me on my walk probably wouldn't have helped much.) 

This weekend of thunder is likely to be followed by a whole week of cooler weather (even under 20C) and also quite a lot of rain. Whether one considers this a blessing or a curse probably varies a lot from one person to another! Personally, I welcome the drop in temperature, and I know that nature is thirsting for rain... No guarantee how long it will be before I'll start complaining about it being too wet, though! ;)

Flamingo Fountain

 

Photo snapped off my TV screen, from the news on Swedish Television today. At a retirement home somewhere they have introduced this as a fun way for their residents to "cool off" in the current heat wave.  

 I did contemplate yesterday to perhaps make similar use of the sprinklers in the cemetery. (But then it wasn't yet all that hot, so I didn't...)

 

Today I might have been more tempted, as we reached 31C (88F) here in the afternoon. But that also meant it was too hot for me to walk that "far". I was only out for a very short walk in the morning, to buy some fruit & veg in the nearest small convenience shop. The rest of the day was spent indoors behind closed blinds and curtains, with fans whirring... 

Tomorrow they predict 32C, so I won't be doing much then either! 

Hot Again

 

 

 

It's getting hotter here again - seems we can expect around 30'C in the next couple of days. Today "just" around 26-27, but with the sun glaring from a clear blue sky without a cloud in sight, still feeling too much for me. I've been out twice but only short distances. Before noon I walked to one of the two small convenience shops in my neighbourhood and bought a big box of ice cream (1.5 l, which I was just about able to fit into my freezer, which is rather small and was already rather full of other kinds of food). After lunch I fell asleep for a while; and then in the late afternoon (after some ice cream!) went for a short stroll to the old cemetery, keeping in the shadow as much as I could. Before turning back home, I sat down there for a while (also in the shadow), on a bench in the memorial grove overlooking the chapel, near a little fountain providing a "cooling" sound. 

The next few days for me aren't likely to include any longer outings either.

 

Skywatch Friday

 

   

Wildflowers have been sown on a grassy patch dividing the walkway from the street in my neighbourhood. I think the main purpose is probably to attract bees and butterflies - but I find them very attractive as well! 

   

On the other side of the street you see the stone wall on the west side of the cemetery. Usually I walk on the inside of that wall, which is why I haven't spotted these flowers before!

And looking in the opposite direction, there was a very artistic sky formation! :) 

It's getting warmer again here, but today still not unbearably hot for a short walk before lunch. (I made sure to bring a bottle of water with me, though!)

Linking to Skywatch Friday