England is a funny place to live in Summer. Growing up in Florida every day felt like Summer. Windows covered in screens, air conditioners hummed loudly at all hours, and ceiling fans constantly spun overhead. On days like today, the hottest day of the year (so far), I yearn for the “luxuries” that came with every house I grew up in. I miss being able to sleep with the window open and I miss the ambient noise produced from the A/C unit or the ceiling fan.

So, how did I combat the hottest day of the year? Well, for starters, I slept beneath a light duvet cover with the fan on full blast. When I woke up I spent a good ten minutes opening every window in the flat to provide maximum air circulation. Since we only have one fan, I find that the air flow is best when I place the fan in the middle of the living room. Another thing that surprisingly helped me beat the heat was setting the lights to a blue color. It helped trick my brain into thinking it was actually cooler than it was and I was able to hangout comfortably until the afternoon. I also made sure to drink plenty of water, and I also took a slightly cold shower to help bring my body temperature down during the day. This last step really helped and I would highly recommend a cold shower to anyone trying to make it through the hottest day of the year.

For dinner we went to the in-law’s house and had cauliflower pizzas! They were very unusual in texture but I assure you they were absolutely delicious. I’m very grateful that we were able to have dinner out of the flat because I’m not sure I could have mustered up the courage to fire up the oven or the stove on such a hot day! With any luck tomorrow will be a little cooler or maybe there will be a bit more a breeze, but either way I would say that I’ve dealt with the hottest day of the year pretty well so far.