Heat Wave

Alister's Parents have been here the last week and it has been a scorcher - up to 35 C. While they like escaping to sunny spots from NI - this, I think, was a bit much. Our apartment wasn't really the cool sanctuary either as indoor temperatures crested at 30C. There are drawbacks to a 14th floor apartment.

With the Heat bearing down - we took advantage of their presence to install a ceiling fan in a our bedroom. Alister's Dad was invaluable in the installation process and he got a peek at Soviet wiring - no multi-colored wires and a bit of guess work.

The fan - even on its lowest setting - makes a huge difference and will be wonderful through July and August - our typically hottest months.

Our cat, meanwhile, had a close encounter of the "whack" kind. He has been jumping up (to our dismay) on the bedroom wardrobes. We didn't see it, but we heard sounds similar to his jumping followed by a very upset cat running into the hallway and arching his back at our bedroom - his eyes fixed on the fan and his whiskers quivering. None the worse for wear as far as we can tell - it has made him more cautious - he tested the bed gingerly with one paw before jumping up on it and spent the next half hour staring up at the blades going round and round before he decided it was safe enough to stop watching it and at least lay down on the bed. We'll see how long it takes him to try jumping on the wardrobe again - but I hope its taught him his lesson.