Summer heat

To be sung to the tune of 'Putting on the Ritz':

I'mmmmm closing all the windows
Drawing all the drapes
Shedding all my clothes...

Well, not all of the latter of course. The neighbours would likely complain and I prefer to have a light covering over my body. So think djellaba without sleeves.

This reminds me of the time I took a ship up the east coast of Africa. I believe it was in Mogadishu that the 'gully gully' man came aboard. The passengers weren't allowed off at that port, so he appeared to entertain us. I'd already heard about such people from my dad, who was 'up north' during the war. What the gully gully man did was produce chicks out of his djellaba, a kind of more abundant version of the magician's rabbit out of the hat.

I wonder why I didn't take a photo.

Anyhow, I digress. What I was really thinking was that I kind of wish we had wooden indoor shutters. They are so efficient at cutting out the heat. We made good use of them when we lived on a farm that had an old Cape Dutch homestead. The long narrow building was cleverly placed to ensure comfortable living in both heat and cold. So we had a front living and dining room and then an 'agterkamer' (literally, a back room) which was the same side as the kitchen. This gave us the two options.

The downside is that wooden shutters cut out the light. But I'm thinking that's okay, seeing as I'll either be outside today, or staring at the computer.

No doubt I'll be turning on the air-conditioning soon. But meantime I'll take a look at my farm memoir, which I plan to publish one of these days.