Childhood memories, hot days and how you can help yourself

Childhood memories, hot days and how you can help yourself

Are you also suffering terribly from the heat?

Obervaz - View of the Lenzerhorn

When I was young, I used to love summer and its hot days. They were in Obervazwhere I grew up, as this community lies at 1300 metres above sea level. When it was very hot, our Nani would switch off the water supply to the well next to our house so that the water in the well trough could warm up. Because even on the hottest days of the year, the clear # mountain spring water that came out of the tap was ice-cold.

Children playing at the fountain

Of course, we children didn't have the patience to wait until the water was at the right temperature, but instead kept sticking our arms and feet into the well trough or pushing each other off the board that lay over the well. As a result, we were usually soaking wet and thoroughly cooled down within a very short time. The Nani could therefore safely turn the water back on and we could enjoy the # hot days to the full.

Nowadays, there are hardly any fountains that carry water all the time. That's a shame, at least for me, because the splashing of the fountain was part of the constant background music of my childhood in Obervaz and therefore awakens strong feelings of home in me.

Today I live in a small chalet in a village in Graubünden at 560 metres above sea level. It gets swelteringly hot here in summer and there is no fountain with cool water for miles around. So I had to come up with something to keep the house at a more or less bearable temperature during the day: As soon as it's cooler outside than inside in the evening, I open all the windows to create a real draught. This not only ensures that the air in the house is completely exchanged during the night, but also that the walls, floors and furniture cool down.

In the morning between six and seven o'clock, I close all the windows and shutters and tilt the slats of the shutters so that light can come in but the sun's rays stay outside.

Only in the bedroom is it quite warm during the night, because draughts have no place here. It gives me a sore throat - anyone who has ever had that knows how unpleasant it is.

Silk bed

Fortunately, I sleep in a silk bed. In summer, the Silk duvet under me and I only use a silk sheet as a blanket. Of course, the Cushion made of pure silk.

If it still gets too hot, I get a wet flannel and use it to cool my lower legs and feet again and again. If that's still not enough, I wet the silk sheet around my legs and feet. This cools them down really efficiently.

Do you have any tricks like this up your sleeve? What are your methods and tools for surviving these hot days?

I wish you a wonderful summer - just the way you like it...

Yours sincerely
Daniela Feldmann