Keep Cool
The Beauty of Shade
CLIMATE CHANGE SEASONS
6/29/20254 min read
All over Europe , people are sweating under relentless skies . Even in the UK , where I have known many indifferent summers, there is much chatter on the internet, and dire warnings in the news about climate change. Here in France , we get by as well as we can , adapting our days to ensure that essential work is done in the cool of the morning. But we are privileged . Two years ago, thanks to a government scheme , we installed climatisation(air conditioning.) Although we use it sparingly, it is a life saver, and of course our bedroom ceiling fan is turning night and day. .
Our daily walks have been abandoned, but yet again we are fortunate, for we can keep fit by swimming a few lengths of the pool. But things are different when we have things to do. We think very carefully before going shopping. Car parks are unforgiving places .
But of course some things are difficult to avoid . Today we had planned an excursion by boat to the boatyard at Grau d'Agde, where we had arranged for the boat to be lifted out of the water, cleaned and painted. This is now badly overdue. For days we have anxiously scanned the weather forecasts, hoping that the dire predictions would improve. But yesterday there was an amber alert, and today is not much better , so sadly we have decided to cancel. I will never forget one experience that I had in our much loved, first boat Njiva1. We were moored in a quiet spot at Maguelone, on the canal Rhône Sète.Our car was some distance away, only reachable by cycling along the brutally exposed edge of the canal. Suddenly the heat became relentless. There was no shade, and the inside of our old steel boat became like a furnace. Moreover , we couldn't escape, as the sun was blazing down on the canal towpath, and there were no trees. I was younger then, but it was still a very unpleasant and dangerous experience, which I have no wish to repeat.
Had we been on the Canal du Midi things would have been better, for in the late nineteenth century, this was planted up with many thousands of plane trees, which have grown stately and tall, and which are an integral part of its beauty. But, as I have reported in earlier blogs, these trees have been stricken by a waterborne disease, and since 2011 great numbers have been felled. But fortunately there has been a massive undertaking to replant the canal sides with new species of trees, and these are growing apace.
Would that all town planners had the foresight of those tree planters. Fortunately in France, there has long been an awareness of the importance of shade bearing trees . Just look at the many roads that are lined with stately planes. Fortunately, these have not been stricken by this disease. In urban spaces too, there are many beautiful parks and gardens, which are not only endowed with trees, but where cooling fountains play. Modern fountains are even designed with children in mind, encouraged to play amongst the giant spouts of water.
Alas, even though we are surrounded by trees, we must still avoid venturing out in the heat of the day. But when it is a little cooler, I love to watch the patterns and shadows that the sun creates. For indeed, shade forms a beautiful and essential part of our lives.
Very soon, we shall have guests arriving to holiday in our gîte. We look forward to welcoming past visitors, and meeting new ones too. But we have to think of their welfare, as the heat may well be relentless , and our swimming pool is exposed. Traditionally we have provided parasols and tarpaulins to provide the necessary shade. But the relentless winds of th Midi which often blow in summer, cause constant problems . And so B. has decided to build a permanent wooden verandah by the pool, where he will attach sheets of thin dried reeds to provide shade. Watch this space, for further news of this project!
Fortunately we are retired, and we have the luxury of being able to choose what we do with our time. But I feel for those who must work outdoors , such as builders and agricultural workers. Fortunately I read that some European countries are restricting permissible working hours, in order to protect such workers in the middle of the day. Bravo! Meanwhile, let us close our shutters or draw our curtains, and above all....
