Summer

When you cycle you feel the difference between different landscapes between seconds. You go from farming landscapes to wooded areas near forests before finally getting to the cities. In the process you notice the difference in temperatures between these different land uses.

The Permanent Summer Heatwave

This summer has been mild in Switzerland, so far, but it could get up to 37°c for several days at a time again. As heat becomes more common the way the Swiss are building new properties becomes absurd. Where there was a single house, surrounded by grass, with two of three trees, and shade, you get a tarmaced parking space, with walls that prevent breezes and tarmac that absors the heat during the day, and radiates it at night. Fantastic in winter, awful in summer.

I walked to the Chateau De Bossey today. It’s an easy walk from one village to another and another after that.

A dirt road part of the walk.

A view of the Salève

A view of a field, the lakes with boats and the Alps in the background.

One sunflower is looking the wrong way. The morning sun is in the other direction.

The unthreatening clouds did not bother me during my bike ride but it was cooler than sometimes at this time of year. I occasionally felt that an extra layer or two would be welcome. That’s unusual in July at this time of year.

I chose routes that kept me as far from cars as possible. I also chose wider roads. They may be safer. The challenge is to find roads where cars are banned.

A field with hay and trees

They announced rain and storms but we hardly ever get either in this part of Switzerland. I wasn’t going to use this blog for short posts but I can’t focus.

The view is not as good as sometimes. A few clouds but with the haze hiding the Alps today.

There is an article on Swiss Radio and Television that discusses the positive impact that the flooding has had on the water tables. For several years not only have we had warm weather but we have also gone with very little or no rain for months at a time.

During some weeks we were told “The water reserves are so low that we will soon need to switch to retrieving water from the lake rather than our reservoires. Underground water is great for when there’s a drought above ground, but the problem is that underground water is finite, and as a result if it is not replenished then it will eventually run out.

If we did not have seasons, and weather, then walking the same route several times a week would get boring. Thanks to the weather we see plants get sown, we see them grow, we see them harvested, and then we see new plants planted. Over time, we recognise plants at an earlier and earlier stage of development. Today I saw that cherries are close to being ready to be picked, so it may be time to prepare Foret Noir.

Minergie is theoretically a fantastic, environmentally friendly way of making a building more energy-efficient, by reducing the need for air conditioning and heating. For three years now I have been playing with and experimenting with minergie. During the first and second heatwaves, I liked to open windows and get fresh air. I found that Minergie means “poor air circulation”. As soon as you close the windows you feel the heat radiate from the walls as if they were sauna stones.

Leslie - May 0, 2021

I was in line outside at a boulangerie last week and a guy behind me would not step back. Yes, we had masks on, and yes, we were outside, but even not in pandemic times, he was too dang close for my comfort. No point saying anything–I didn’t see the point in getting into a shouting match in the street with a stranger. Getting my second dose on the 31st. Beyond ready.