The heat is on

If it was hot yesterday, then I am not sure how to describe today's heat. I spent the morning doing jobs in the appartment - it was a bit sweaty and uncomfortable but bearable. When I finally stepped outside after lunch I was hit by a wall of air at least 10 degrees hotter than inside - makes me realise how well these old stone houses insulate against the summer sun.

If you were in direct sunlight and stopped moving for 30 seconds you would suddenly say "Ow" as the sun started to burn. The breeze was of little relief as you could feel the heat of the air moving across you - at least it masked the burning feeling. The temperature guage outside the pharmacy in the square is known for being a few degrees optimistic with it's assessment - this afternoon it was showing 42 degrees - optimistic or not, that's hot.

I collected new guests from the airport this afternoon. Plenty of people were getting off the London flight in sweaters and jackets - which shows what the weather was like in London. There were a few people were finding the temperature here a bit of a shock.

Nobody's temperature was helped by the baggage conveyor belt breaking down. Everyone was inside the arrivals hall, having passed through customs, but all the bags were on the other side of the windows because the conveyor belt wouldn't work. They wouldn't let people back past customs to manually pick up their bags and tempers started to fray.

Eventually, in a truly comedic French method, the baggage handlers just manually pushed the bags through the hole in the wall for people to claim them one at a time on the other side, thus satisfying all demarcation and customs rules. Jacques Tati would not have been out of place.

There are only six flights a day in summer into Carcassonne airport and the ground staff have to be waken from their slumbers each time a flight comes in. You'd think the least they could do was check that everything was operational during the vacant hours between bouts of real work - and to think they went on strike recently because they weren't paid enough for sleeping all day.

Maybe I am being unkind - perhaps it was just the heat affecting the internal workings of the machines. I overheard someone saying that the car park ticket machines weren't operating either so how were they going to get out of the car park? - I turned to look at the exit barriers and sure enough they were lifted in the permanently open position - no car parking revenue today either at the airport then. Not a good day to be airport general manager.

My new guests were just glad to be out of the UK and driving about in the sunshine in an open top car. The younger of the two teaches mediaeval history and was all for running up to La Cité the minute she arrived - that's known as 'being a bit London'. It's been there for a thousand years - it will still be there tomorrow - take your time - after all you are here for ten days.

The heat will slow her down.

Suddenly at seven o'clock the sky went black and the thunder thundered and the lightning flashed and enormous great big fat raindrops started falling one at a time and then a few more and then all together in a massive thunderstorm. It felt good. It smelled of hot wet sunny stone and earth. It instantly cooled everything - but only for a moment.

The sweat is still dripping from my arms as I type this - not a pleasant thought I know, but the reality.

Personally I'm OK with it. I have spent so many years in dull, cold grey English weather conditions that a few days of extra-ordinarily hot weather is not going to start me complaining about it - comment on it, yes - but complain, no.

Some like it hot.