Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Perceived wisdom



Coming from a generally cool climate my perceived wisdom (wisdom? - Ed) is to open all the doors and windows and enjoy the sunshine.

Given that we are roasting in 35C+ everyday at the moment what you should actually do is shut your blinds (certainly against the sun) and shut the windows. That way you stop the sun heating the inside of your house and you keep out the hot air. (Why not just shut your mouth? - Ed)

But, that's easier said than done. When I was young I remember visiting my Italian grandmother (Nonna), during my summer holidays, and her home being in a permanent state of darkness. Not being the brightest of kids I put this down to her permanent bad mood (on the brighter side she was a bloody good cook). Or some death or something that she was 'celebrating.'

How wrong I was and how smart she was. If you follow the instructions above then your house will stay much cooler and it's much more comfortable whilst you spend few hours fiddling with your iPhone (give it a rest - Ed) or other important matters.

The downside of this new course of action is that you will lose your sunny disposition and become a miserable old git (like you - Ed). You just get to live with the pain and all the bruising on your shins.

1 comment:

Carolina said...

Well said, Alex! I can't tell you how exhaustingly difficult it is to try and explain this procedure to our visitors from England... They close shutters and windows at night and open everything in the morning. I pull my hair out trying to tell them that it should be the other way around. We always follow that and our house is lovely and cool (ish) all day.