Friday 30 September 2011

Too hot to blog.

I don't like hot weather. Cold is better - I'll keep longer in the cold.

There used to be summers like this, years ago, before Global Warming. Weeks and weeks of rain followed by heat and sunshine and absolutely still air. It does horrible things to humidity levels. Opening windows doesn't help when there's no breeze at all. It's been years, but it's back for a week or so. Soon the chill will return.

On the plus side, it will help to ripen the tomatoes and chillis and it's ideal tobacco-leaf-drying weather. This year I had some Cheyenne chillis, very productive plants but they're quite mild chillis. When I picked the first ones off the plant I could eat them as if they were miniature sweet peppers. Keep them in the fridge for a week and they develop a decent kick. Not as much as a Cayenne and nothing compared to Scotch Bonnet but a definite kick anyway. I'll grow them again because they'll ripen in a summer that's too cold and crap for the serious chillis.

Tonight I can't sit next to a computer with a 300-watt power supply so I'm off to sit in the garden with some cider.

Back later if it cools down. It's nearly 25C in here!

I'm melting. Meeeelllting!

13 comments:

Bucko said...

It's 28 down here. Last week when the clouds opened a little bit I prayed for one more week of sunshine before winter.
I got it. This week when we have been off work and doing up the kitchen all week.
Next week it will be pissing down again. I'll be happy when we get this global warming they have been promising us. I'm not getting tanned I'm just going rusty.

Xen347 said...

12:53am and it's 26C in my house and I'm sat by a 750w psu reading how you can't sit next to a 300w jobbie! Pffft!

I'm still up 'cos it's too hot to sleep. Who'd a thunk that on October 1st? I have not read anything that says why we're having this spell though. Nowt to do with the massive sunspot is it?

galbak said...

I blame lack of above ground atomic bomb tests.

Think back a few years, we still had tests, and the weather was better, then we got rid of the tests, and global warming cut in, and the weather went downhill.

Bring back the friendly mr atom....

Leg-iron said...

It's getting warmer. Just topped 26 and humidity at 90% and the sweat is running out of me faster than the Benromach can refill the pores. The cider helped but cider late at night just means nocturnal pee-visits.

I wasn't built for heat. If I ever get out of the country I'm looking at Norway or Iceland rather than Spain or France.

Maybe Greenland. The Times atlas says there's lots of new space with nobody living there. It would be a shame if they were lying about that.

Anonymous said...

Is this off topic? I trust that it does not matter!

My tobacco plants are growing like the clappers at the moment. As you may recall, I was very late planting them out. But this year is entirely experimental.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND 'CURING'!!! If tobacco leaves turn 'yellow', are they 'cured'? And, if so, how do you force green tobacco leaves to go 'yellow'?

In my mind, this is the cruz of the matter - is 'yellowness' the indication of 'cured'? And how do you 'force' green tobacco plant leaves to go 'yellow'?

I am not a scientist - I do not understand. The critical thing to me is the 'yellowing' or 'browning'. Is that correct?

The processes required to produce the yellowing are unimportant.

TheFatBigot said...

I had some fantastic petunias in the pots on the living room window ledge until mildew hit them after a rainy spell a couple of months ago. So, I cut them back and hoped for some reasonable weather to allow them to grow and flower again.

This hot and sunny spell has turned a collection of stubby leaves into another excellent display. Liquid tomato feed has helped too.

JuliaM said...

"I don't like hot weather. Cold is better..."

Amen!

Anonymous said...

Hot weather doesn't suit me either.

I have spent the better part of the last two days hiding under a tree at the bottom of the garden.

Blazing blue skies, warm air, and the yellow autumn leaves on the ornamental thorn tree, showering down across the lawn with the slightest breeze.

Most peculiar.


Rose

Furor Teutonicus said...

We have a cellar, that has a cellar, and under that, is a one room cell----ar. I sleep there during the day, when it is hot. But this year in Germany has been shite weather. June Junly, we actually turned the heating ON!

(Word verification heat(r), is this thing bloody psychic or what?)

smokervoter said...

Imagine that, it's actually cooler here in sunny Southern California than in Scotland, it's only 19C. Of course, it is 02:42. And I'll be sleeping like a baby soon.

subrosa said...

Auch Leggy, can ye no open ony doors a nicht jist tae gie ye a wee bitty cauld air?

I left certain doors and windows open last night just to disperse the warm air and it worked. Not so many hot flushes as previous nights. :) Maybe you can't do that because of that erm... slightly unfriendly neighbour.

It's the humidity. It's rotted the plums that were left on the tree. I'd promised a neighbour I still had plenty - well I did on Monday - but they're now prunes with scabs. She was delivered some rather nice apples though so seemed appeased.

It's still terribly humid today and the continuing rain isn't making any difference.

Leg-iron said...

Junican - they'll turn yellow on their own. You need to hang them somewhere warm and reasonably humid so they dry - but not to a crisp, to something that feels like thin leather.

Then you have a few options - stack and ferment, or just dip in boiling water and re-dry are two options. YouTube is full of suggestions although some of them look overly complex to me.

I'm trying to keep it cheap and simple.

Leg-iron said...

Subrosa - I can't sleep with the doors open, but windows (upstairs) are okay. The trouble was, the air was so still that opening windows didn't help.

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