I love warm sunny weather but I found the recent heatwave challenging.
Hailing from the sunnier climes of Cyprus, Flossie coped much better than me. She insisted on lying flat out on the patio in full sun with hardly a pant until eventually I had to bring her in and shut the back door.
We stayed indoors during the heat of the day and I was careful about what time I walked her, mindful of sensitive paws on baked pavements and a dog’s inability to sweat.
Early morning short walks were sufficient and then she relaxed for the rest of the day while I loafed about trying not to move too much, feeling clammy and slightly grumpy.
Lack of sleep didn’t help. The sun bears down on my bedroom from lunchtime onwards so it was like an oven at night, despite a fan attempting to shift the stifling air. The kitchen where Flossie sleeps is the coolest room so she was perfectly comfortable. I did consider joining her at one point.
Because I was so listless during the day, we tried following the Mediterranean tradition of an afternoon siesta. Flossie stretched out diagonally across the bed, her tail fur billowing in the breeze of the fan while I squeezed into the corner she’d left free.
She fell into a deep sleep immediately, a steaming, dead weight pressed up against my legs. I didn’t have the heart to move her. She truly relaxes when she’s like this.
So, while I lay there scrunched up and sweating, unable to drop off, she enjoyed a peaceful nap.
She woke up refreshed and raring to go while I heaved myself up off the bed like an over-heated zombie.
And the trouble is, now the heatwave has passed, she expects us both to go upstairs for a snooze every afternoon and is quite put out when I don’t have time.
So she takes herself up there anyway.
I sometimes think she doesn’t know how lucky she is.
As published in the Bath Chronicle, 22 August 2020
Suzy Pope is a certified copywriter and newspaper columnist specialising in pets, business and lifestyle. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.
