Having lived 12 years in India, you would think I wouldn’t gripe about the heat here in Berlin or anywhere else for that matter. Here’s the thing though, with the long Autumn that turns into a bitter Winter and then a prolonged and moody Spring, one tends to forget what real heat is all about. Heck, sometimes I forget what sunshine feels like.
Summer has arrived, and is doing so with a vengeance, making up for all the rainy days, hail and gloomy periods and volatile temperatures. What they say about Berlin is true: you can experience all four seasons in one day! Ice cream parlours are making a killing this week, especially since school is out, the tourists are flocking to the nation’s capital like there is no tomorrow, and it is simply too hot to sit around the park with a beer. Nudists are out in full force, the dogs are complaining about the hot pavements, and the river fowl are chatty at all hours of the day.
Sun and heat are my elements. I thrive in this weather, and have absolutely nothing to complain about, except that I miss air conditioning. Thank goodness for tower fans though! Without them I would be at a loss for words and have absolutely no energy to drag myself around my own home.
For the past two summers I put up with all the flies and bugs taking refuge in my home, considering the shade or the lamps at night an open invitation and making me regret every moment of having taken an apartment along the river. In 2017, having just moved here, I didn’t know any better, and promised myself to do something about it the following year. 2018 came and went, and I survived the summer with electric bug repellents and a mosquito net over my bed. This reduced the buggy situation significantly, but the problem was far from eradicated. 2019 is my year of radical change, so I put up a screen curtain at the balcony door so it can stay open. I spent the next eight hours chasing down every last remaining fly in my home. I am proud to declare that for the past 48 hours I have been completely bug-free, the apartment is well-aired, but am currently living with three confused cats who question the wisdom of the screen that prevents them from marching in and out as they please. You win some, you lose some.
This weekend I will screen the 2 major windows so I can keep them tilted at night for better circulation. Now where did I leave my glass of cold Rose? Ah yes, right next to the peaches.
FrogDiva Thoughts 