Help calm me. House buying and selling stress *Part 9*

Shandy the best way to cool your dog is to wipe his tummy with a wet cloth. The blood vessels are close to the surface and the coolness does not need to travel through the coat. If he will tolerate it dampen a towel and attach it so it stays. I had cool mats for my dogs but they would not lie on them. Their answer to the heat was to dig a hole and lie in it. The hotter it got the deeper they dug. They much preferred that to being inside.

Franbern sorry to hear you have succumbed to Covid, fingers crossed it will continue to be a mild dose and you are back to doing your usual things very soon.

Grannysomerset so happy I had my karndean floors laid. Only place I have carpet is in my own bedroom. In my house, had the whole ground floor with Amtico in through lounge which matched up to the original parquet flooring in the hallway.
My daughter has original parquet flooring in her house, hallway, and both reception rooms. When she has her kitchen done, and opened up to dining room she has arranged Amtico to match up to that.

Think these floorings are perfect for modern , living, warm underfoot in winter, cool in summer, so very easy to keep clean, does not break anything that falls on it like so many tiles. When I knock anything over, all I have to do is mop it up, within minutes it is clear and clean.

Lots and lots of designs. So, do pick carefully and you also get a lifetime (not your lifetime) the floorings lifetime guarantee.

Oh no Franbern, best wishes it's only very mild and you feel better soon.

So sorry, Franbern, especially after doing so well for so long. Hope you have a mild dose and that the heat doesn’t make things worse.

While DH was unwell various spills on the sitting room carpet resulted in a stained patch which nothing will shift and I have nearly decided to have most of the ground floor recovered in wood laminate - hall and garden room as well as sitting room; kitchen and utility have Karndean floors. Any advice for me? It is going to be a huge upheaval but will be worth it.

Well, it has finally caught up with me. Had dreadful night on Sunday, nothing to do with heat, just stuffed up nose, waking me every 50 -60 minutes. So, yesterday when I was feeling so bad, put it down to exhaustion. Nearly normal night last night - but did sneeze a couple of times, unusual for me. Little bit of a cough this morning, so thought, Well I will test just so that I can go to my meetings and not have people worried. Much to my chagrin, came back postive within very short while. So, no going out anywhere for next few days.

Must say, at present it is presenting just like a mild summer cold. Do not know if it will get any worse, we will see. Fortunately, I have a large store of food stuffs, can easily survive a week or three or more . Phoned my pharmacy and have arranged for them to drop into my letter box my repeat prescription which I normally collect on Tuesdays. Sent emails to all group leaders for those that I would be attending this week.
At least will have the time to catch up on reading my book club book.

Just loked up Sheltie dog Shandy they are lovely, what I call a 'Lassie dog' after the TV programme, he must be terrible hot though with all that thick fur, well done with the baths.

Morning all, I hope you are as cool as you can be. Only 24C here, but feels like 34C its so stuffy.

Spice101 I am sorry you are cold! But I remember your heat. I was too scared to drive the kids to Uluru, even though I was desperate to go, another tourist told us the oil had boiled and the bonnet flew up with it spouting. We didn't have the money for the organised coach trip' Glad you are well health wise, and enjoying furniture shopping now. I look forward to the day I can buy a new sofa, I am bored sitting on the bed!

Glad your dog is cool in his bandana Yogi, my dog is really suffering, I was up twice with him in the night and sponged him down. As a sheltie he has a double coat, and I haven't trusted any groomers after the last fiasco, I'm brushing him so he has a 'parting' and putting water onto his skin.

I walked past the builder this morning who said he will come to take the wardrobe/unit down, I feel a bit panicky it's an empty promise.

I bought one of those wet bandanas for my little dog, really does the trick, one of the best buys I've done for doggie, seems to sooth him at bed time, also give him a small bowl of ice cubes, he really loves them! Too hot now!

Morning all
Back from walkies in the park, went before 7am, such a nice atmosphere in the park, like every ones on holiday, but it's hot, hot hot now and I have to go to Lidl

So many post on the other thread I'm on, I now need to catch up on this one. Hope you're all coping with this heat, Patio doors open fully, curtains drawn, 2 fans blowing, although I am sitting in the garden, in the shade of course, but it's now 28` and climbing to 35` by midday! Keep cool everyone.

Hope everyone is managing in the heat you have. I could do with some of it back here if you want to send some. It has been so wet and cold for us for weeks now. Just plain miserable.

In spite of this things have been moving along nicely for us. Having completed the garden, poor things now surviving the wet and cold, we decided it was time to keep the motivation going and get on with our other needs. So I have just replaced my stove and changed from a dual fuel - electric over and gas hob to an electric oven with induction hob. I always had electric hobs and thought gas would be good but after almost 2.5 years of using gas I just could not get on with it. Only had the new one installed less than a week ago but am already thinking I have made the right decision.

I also had a cabinet maker put in some more pull out shelves in the pantry and build some bookcases and put shelves into a hall cupboard. Money well spent in each case.

As I type I have workmen on the roof installing solar panels which should save us quite a bit of money on our electricity bills. Unfortunately this will not have a battery storage and it seems at this time batteries are not viable enough so we will still be reliant on the electricity grid for some of our power but our bills should be less than half than they are at the moment.

The next and final big purchase task is to finalize the furniture shopping.

It's now 17 months since we moved in and had hoped to be further advanced but covid lockdowns and health issues put paid to that.

House prices are starting to fall here although not dramatically yet. Interest rates are being raised by the Reserve Bank on a monthly basis. They are now the highest they have been in 20+ years. Still way below what we paid on our first home 50 years ago though. However there was no rise for over 11 years, only reductions. Our property has increased by $220,000 since we bought. Just as well as we have spent half of that since we have been here.

My tip for dealing with the hot weather is to try and not focus on how hot it is and keep up your water intake up. The hottest I can remember here was in 2009 when we had a week of high 30's followed by 4 days of 44+ with northerly (hot) winds. Our tomatoes cooked on the bushes. There was no relief. One or two days is not too bad but get it for a week or more and it becomes an issue. Your houses are built to cope with the cold not the heat so many will take some time to cool down to a more comfortable temperature.

I had to go out this morning as I had a dental appointment at 11.30. which meant a 15 min walk, mostly on the flat although there is one bit of a steep hill.
I hate wearing a hat, I think it makes you sweat more, so instead I used an umbrella as a parasol. It did help, I tried to walk in the shade where possible but there wasn't a lot of shade to be had. I walked much slower than normal, and did stop to have some sips of water.
I was glad to come home, at least it was downhill all the way, and once I got home I sluiced myself with cold water and had a lie down on the settee.
I have been going abroad since 1970 so am used to warmer weather, but I think that age (I am 77) does play a bigger part as one gets older.

I also feel sorry for any animal without shade and in a fur or wool coat, awful

it is already 31 here and climbing very fast

Thanks karmalady, feeling better now I've had breakfast. I've found my late husband's sun hat, but won't be going out until very late tonight, my dog's really feeling it. I've just plonked him in a low tepid bath and sponged a little water onto the skin on his back. I really feel for the sheep, some of them around here don't have any shade at all.

shandy, take care, I don`t like that you are feeling unwell

Temperature is climbing very fast here, 29 now and my precautions are working. I know I will be flaked out later today but am not doing anything except laptop browsing. Trying hard to remember to drink much more than usual

Morning all, it's boiling here already at 22C. I must must buy a hat, it does affect me, just back from a dog walk and feel a bit nauseous.

Also feeling a bit sick my furniture is going in eleven days time, and I'll be stuck in the lounge!

I hope your cooler comes today too Franbern, let us know how it 'performs'.

My aunt has just told me a great uncle was John Hughes, the Welsh composer. I'm going to go on ancestry this morning and work out the connection, it does test me!

A nurse on another thread on here said many older people are not taking care and being hospitalised. Stay safe and cool everyone.

I do hope your cooler comes today Franbern. That does sound like a lovely weekend away

I like being up early, earlier than the birds today, everything that can open is open and my house is cooling nicely, I will be ready for today and will most definitely be indoors all day

Just a quiet still day ahead for me, I am going to tidy my kitchen now and will likely read all day, plus a doze at some stage. I am getting into the continental routine for now

I have used two parasols on my balcony to protect the windows from the sun and recommended this some posts earlier. As I have been away most of this weekend, obviously have not had them up, nor patio door open. Did keep the vertical blinds closed on those windows, and must say that within half an hour of getting home, opening patio door, and turning on my tower fan - the temperature in my living room is very comfortable

Being at The Toldpuddle Festival was quite hard work with the sun this weekend. My daughter and two of her children stayed and camped there - it was quite cold at night evidently. SiL collected me and we were there by 9 each morning. Sun protection cream, a good hat, and an umbrella - there were one particular meeting tent that had good sized fans in them. I am glad I went, met up with some people I used to know when I lived in Chingford. With careful protection (and drinking plenty of water -there are water taps for filling up water bottles there.), I have got through the whole weekend without any problems caused by the sun, I am careful as I have had three Basal cancers removed from my face over the last few years,. Main problem is as usual that it is on quite a steep grass slope, which makes using my scooter difficult.

I did purchase a gorgeous, floaty kaftan type of dress whilst I was there. Very cool and easy to wear. Reckon I am going to get quite a lot of wear from it

I am still awaiting for my ordered cooler to be delivered!!

yuk, heavy going weather, still 29 in the shade outside. John Campbells heat stroke video is very interesting, I have upped my water intake a lot, we should be passing 2litres of urine a day. I have only been a couple of times today and there will be plenty like me.

My drinks have been pretty normal but obviously my body is working at keeping my internal temperature normal, I don`t feel sweaty but I must still be losing through my skin and breath. The fan helps I am sure, it helps evaporation. I am dreading the next two days

haha, I used to like life on mars, very reminiscent of attitudes and how it was then.

Smoking then was terrible, everywhere. I was at a formal dinner for hubbies work and everyone who smoked lit up, I could hardly talk, it was difficult to breathe and I had to go outside. My friend at those same dinners as me, she died from lung cancer last year, never smoked in her life. Just passive smoking like many of us. Remember the cinemas? we used to go as children on a saturday afternoon, loads of smoking in there and not just adults, children could buy a `loosie` for a few pennies

DS is in scotland, also with a cool 18 and wearing a puffer jacket. Such an interesting set of islands in the uk, so many different temperature zones. I even feel different micro climates in my garden now

I could not sit out at all today, not even in shade, it is stifling hot

Afternoon all, cool here at 18 and it's been spitting with rain. Sorry your sail nearly took off karmalady, reminds me of bad times!

I'm just watching an old tv series called Life on Mars, set in the 70's. I was working at the BBC in those days. The smoking - everywhere - is quite shocking!

gosh it is windy and my sails nearly took off, even when vertical and held in place by tall planters and a wooden bench. The one shielding the kitchen is by a corner and was being hammered by wind, knocked a tall planter over and bashed my folding lafuma reclimer into the door. Soil everywhere but heyho, living and learning as usual. More bricks inside the base and wide velcro in action to the bench

I need to keep them up until around 2 pm it is already 29 out and I need the temperature difference inside, 6 degrees difference right now but I was awake early and gave my whole house a blow through

I dug and cooked some charlotte potatoes yesterday, only for 10 minutes. Gorgeous taste and texture cold and enough for two more days

Saw some news, looks dreadful in Italy, those wildfires as well as the heat

I used to like that series

The working with shade worked quite well today, 28 out now and 24 in and that is a better difference than I normally get. Loft hatch will be lowered a bit but not until 8. It is going to be a horribly warm night

Go on trustpilot and give them a 1 , you will have the opportunity to put your order number on the end of your post. That was the only way I eventually got satisfaction from qvc, which I have slated and left over a year ago, Companies are scared of bad publicity

Ramotswe, didn't press hard enough.

Thanks karmalady, I'm ridiculously cross. If I'd wanted some chinese tat I would have ordered from ebay. Returning on Monday, I can walk to the PO hopefully without collapsing if the heat wave does come here! It's only 19 here, it's 26 on the IOW.

It's definitely getting darker earlier I'm having to put the side light on earlier each evening, I do dread the dark winter walks with my dog.

I've just finished the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, so glad I persevered. I love Mma Ramotwe! Trigger warning, a lot of references to snakes.

You have rights shandy. I assume you have told B and W. You have the right to cancel the purchase even if it was perfect, which it clearly is not. Paypal? I have done a chargeback a few times in the past, first step as always is to send the e mail to the seller and keep that as copy. PP will get your money back for you, no seller wants a pp dispute as it is a black mark against them

I see that the shade started to come at the back patio door at around 1.30, at the end furthest from south, that is half an hour earlier than early summer. Ok so day length/sun position is definitely changing, around 3 minutes every day