Wednesday 4 July 2018

A different rhythm ...


Oooh, it's hot! We've had high temperatures (for us!) for a good ten days now, and no end in sight. It's beautiful to be out in...

 no jacket required, just a pair of sunglasses in the pocket, a bottle of water and you're good to go. It's wonderful for all the festivals, outdoor concerts, fairs and fetes that proliferate in summer but...
 It's not so great when you're in a kitchen unit with the oven on and the sun beating through the transparent roof panels!! The chocolate holds up better than I do...it's well insulated with opaque lids which keep the sun off...
 I do have a fan, but it's in the packing area and really just pushes warm air around. And I have to wear protective clothing to bake in - a full coverage apron and anti-slip clogs. Not ideal!
Something has to give! So...I've changed my workday routine for the duration of the hot spell. I get up early anyway so an extra hour makes no difference - and I get to the kitchen by 6.30am. It's a beautiful time of day...still and clear and full of birdsong. Coffee, Radio 4 and oven on ...and it's all systems go! I try and bake everything so that I can switch the oven off by 11am. Then cooling and packing. And the ideal (which I've managed so far) is to leave by 2pm, just when it's really heating up! Post office run on the way home and then I get the afternoon to do admin and hopefully spend time in the garden too!

There's no point worrying about things I can't change, like the weather - I just have to adapt. And it's actually a lovely way to work while it's so beautiful outside!

Enjoy your summer xx