No, not of a pub as in Britain but at 7.30 pm at last I can open the shutters! I love this time of evening in summer here: the general relief is palpable as you hear all the neighbours' shutters go up, too. This is quite a change in "life rhythm" for a Brit., as we usually see so little hot sunshine that we strip off at the first sign of it and throw all our windows open all day! Here, in the heat, you must keep your shutters closed in the daytime - otherwise the hot air gets in and you find yourself living in a furnace - but at around 7-8pm you open them all, till at least midnight. The cool breeze is such a relief and its coming heralds, for me, another "opening up" - that of the gin and its companion, the tonic! Then Simi and I sit here and, if we are not watching TV or listening to music [tonight I have got the new Aznavour CD, which the Sacro Cuore CD/video store ordered for me as soon as I read that it was out in Italy - you may be 83, Charles, but you'll always be sexy to me!] there is always the song of the cigales [ cicadas]. This starts early in the morning and continues for a couple of hours, and begins again from around 8.30 pm. On all but the very hottest days [when the temperature rises above 40 C] they can also be heard at lunchtime. I gather that their song is a male mating call so can only suppose that the extreme heat cools even the ardour of these insects!
15 comments:
Your room looks very cool. How does Simi cope with the heat? Harvey never managed to work out for himself that the shade was cooler than the full sunlight and would lie in it, panting!
lovely description. I like the look of your home - lots of light, books, and very soft colors.
We are the same here now with the shutters closed except where there is shade and the roof open on the side but covered on the top! There is a definite routine. I am so fortunate to have the sea breeze!
I am interested to ask you (you of course have the option to choose not to answer as it is really none of my business..)are you working there? You say in your profile semi-retired, and you are so very young still... I just wondered.
Here on the UK South coast where I listen to the sound of the english channel we do have to keep the windows shut - it keeps out the rain!!
What a lovely room!
One of the things I like most about a very hot day (and we do get them occasionally here)is having all of the windows open in the cool of the evening. At the moment here it's more a case of shutting all of the windows and putting the heating on.
PS: Charles Aznavour - another great favourite
Cicadas for me signal summer and remind me of living in Australia.
Nature is very noisy in Australia. Lots of wonderful noisy birds too.
The cool of the evening is something we look forward to when it is hot. For Germany, that's not often. You place looks like a vacation resort.
Lovely room WL. But who is the little person standing between the TV and the window? Is Simi about to race around the shutter and have a chat to the little person?
The cigales sound like full-blooded Italian birds to me.
And I love the snapshot of your cool room too, it's so neat too.
Hi, Liz. Simi is not too bothered. She finds the coolest place to stretch out and after we have been out I rub her down with ice. Thanks, Lady M. I was lucky in that the apartment had already been done out in neutral colours. You are lucky to have the sea breeze! I don't mind you asking at all. I took early retirement from full-time secondary teaching when I waws 47, following a bereavement and an illness. I then taught freelance for several years and went into ESOL teaching as well. [I am a French and Italian teacher.] So I have a teacher's pension which goes firther here than it would in the UK but not far enough! So I do some translation, private lessions and other freelance teaching here. Could do with a bit of that rain here, Mutley! [Mind you, when we do have a storm, it doesn't do it by halves!] Thanks, Chris. Yes, it is pleasant in the evening. In Italy we're not supposed to have heating on after 31st March [not that we need it now, of course, but it's sometimes chilly in April.] Another Aznavour fan! Jmb, we have noisy birds outside here as well, although we are in the middle of town. But I guess you have truly exotic ones in Oz? Hi, Steve - a rather untidy resort! Hi, Shirl. That's Leonardo the plant holder. [I'm not mad or anything!] Simi likes to knock him off balance to get my attention! Definitely Italian cigales, Ellee!
I love open windows, even in winter. Today though we had to close them,very quickly,as the farmer behind us started to spray slurry on his fields. Not nice!
Both you and Simi have a nice cool room to relax in.
I can just see you sitting there enjoying a cool breeze through the shutters enjoying your G&T, Welsh. :)
MM, I hope the farmer has stopped now! Lee, I'll have one for you this evening!
That looks so pretty and relaxing in the evening light.
I'm not surprised you have so many books-- I'll bet that's only the tip of the iceberg!
Hi, Ruthie. Just the tip of an enormous one!
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