So goes the Irving Berlin song which was sung by Ethel Merman (and while I may not be that old, my musical knowledge is😄) And we certainly are having a heatwave, although I know we’re in no way alone in that. France has been suffering with hotter temperatures than the UK, and I know these temps are fairly common for those of you in the US. But not for the UK, although it appears that we’re going to have to get used to it happening more in the future (unless this is some form of double fake).
The first week we had temperatures reaching the magical 100F, and that temperature in buildings which are constructed to retain heat rather than dissipate it, has been a killer. Air conditioners are like unicorns here in the UK, and are certainly not acceptable when you live in an architecturally listed building as we do🤯 I started off feeling quite pleased – ok, a tad smug if truth be told – for our old thick walls were managing to keep us cool. But too many days on the trot of extra high heat, and they switched to doing the reverse – being unable to cool down, even when we’re able to open doors and windows to let in cooler air when the full sun isn’t on them. And so we’ve been sweltering, melting, and looking downright raggedy as well as distinctly grumpy and tired.
Of course, that was when I started my new job🙄 A job which requires me to be tied to a phone line and a computer – with both having to be located in a quiet and private room. Oh deep joy! We do have the best cooling fans you can buy, but air conditioners they are not, and by the afternoon, things are getting jolly unpleasant. I’m starting at 8am and working through till 3pm-ish. Sometimes I get a few minutes between appointments, at other times I’m dashing to fit in a toilet break before getting straight onto the next call.
I’m talking to elderly people who are in need of financial assistance and are eligible to receive support. Unfortunately – and somewhat unsurprisingly – the application process is unwieldy to say the least, which puts most people off from applying – so that’s what I do all day; I talk to people and navigate the application process on their behalf. The company is relatively new and was formed after the founders began to support their respective elderly fathers after retirement and discovered quite how complex a procedure it was. After learning how to successfully navigate it, they saw an opportunity, and the company is now growing like topsy (that’s a British-ism for you Mark).
I enjoy it – it meets my need to help people and I always enjoy talking to new people, but I had not considered quite how exhausting it would be talking for 7 hours straight, 5 days a week. And while I’ve been willing to pick up as many hours as possible to help deal with clearing the company backlog, I’m going to scale back to a more manageable routine. Especially as I still want to have time enough to do all those others things I enjoy…
One unexpected problem with the weather is I thought I’d got what it took to handle hot weather in the UK summer. I mean, it happens rarely enough I was confident my one week’s worth of pure cotton everyday dresses (plus a couple of dressier options for when making an effort is required) would more than suffice. But, quite frankly, I rapidly ran out of suitable clothes and have had to give in and shop (which I absolutely loathe). Thank goodness for the internet and, let’s be honest, for the fact the heat has removed any qualms I may previously have had about sartorial standards. One night while particularly hot, I tried shopping on my phone in bed. Sadly, that failed miserably with my phone overheating at the key moment, despite being held in front of a fan🥵
Clearly I’ve missed you all enough to come back to blogland, so what have you been up to in my absence? How’s the weather been where you are? Anyone had any interesting or unusual shopping experiences?
© Debs Carey, 2026
debsdespatches.com 
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