Feeling the heat in Santa Luzia

 Sunday 15/08/21

Since we started off in our motorhome (1,012 days ago now) we avidly watch the weather forecast so we always have an idea of what is coming.  You're a bit more exposed to the weather when you don't have a house and it's a habit that has helped us more than once.

A glorious sunrise, looking and feeling fairly benign at this stage

Even though we knew there was a heat wave on it's way, apart from making sure we had enough groceries to avoid too much cycling in the heat, there wasn't that much we could do about it.  

We've been covering windows, spraying the roof and keeping the house closed all day as the temperature continued to rise, day after day.  The previously cool nights have all but disappeared and the cool breeze that used to give us respite in the evenings has dried up.  All we get now is a scorching wind in the peak heat of the afternoon that feels like the inside of a thermo-fan oven.

We didn't recognise Branco after she went for a mud roll in the dam

Yesterday peaked at just over 43°C, today was just over 40°C, but the week ahead promises to drop down to be in the mid-30's, which now feels much more manageable.  

It has been a long time since we've been exposed to temperatures like this and it has been quite humbling but also quite restrictive, as we are mainly staying indoors, trying to keep cool. We're hoping things become a bit more manageable so that we can increase our activity levels again.

We've been spraying the horses (and ourselves) to  keep cool

We tend to avoid joining them in the dust bath afterwards, preferring a cold shower

In other news: We've booked flights to South Africa at the end of September, holding thumbs (SA) and crossing fingers (UK) that we manage to get off the ground this time, at least we'll be well acclimatised to the pending African summer.