Surviving the heat
Being in London right now is how I imagine sitting in your washing machine directly after a hot wash feels like. Humid, dense and just about unbearable. For a country girl, I have to admit I am struggling with the lack of green space here. I miss quiet mornings where I hear birdsong and hot afternoons spent by lakes or rivers that aren’t charging you to get near. That being said, the energy of the city is brilliant when the sun is out. The soft smell of cigarettes whilst walking through streets lined with bars and restaurants is so comforting to me. I’ve seen 4 random dances break out in the streets these past couple of weeks! Just groups of people practicing, flash mobbing or people with large speakers where the public are encouraged to join in.
A week ago I decided to stop moaning about the relentless heat and try to embrace it. Jake and I woke up one morning after being blasted with the fan all night and was greeted by Jake’s flatmate in the kitchen, who had grand plans of visiting the London Fields Lido that afternoon, and asked if we would like to join. We jumped at the idea and got ready, slathering sunscreen on our very white celtic skin and loading our bags with water bottles.
We managed to walk to the Lido, and by the time we got there we were all so hot that standing in the very short queue to enter the pool was torture. As soon as we got in we found a spot at the side to lay down towels and bags, showered then got in. We made the mistake of being adults and sensibly walked in to the water via the steps. The water was surprisingly cold so we just had to get our heads in. The pool was busy but not overcrowded, we stuck to the general swim area because we just wanted to play about and it was GLORIOUS. We dipped in and out of the pool all afternoon, only staying out of the water to the point where the sun just got a bit too hot after we dried.
You forget as an adult how ravenous you get after swimming. So after we walked back home, Jake and I were immediately making lists of what we were making for dinner that night. The summer feel of the day just called for an antipasti/tapas crossover, as we just wanted a bit of everything.
We made a feast of home-made pesto and spaghetti, king prawns sautéed in chilli and garlic, melon hunks wrapped in speck and fresh tomato bruschetta on rosemary focaccia. And we inhaled everything, along with an episode of our favourite series of the moment, Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy.
What a lovely day.
