Dog Days

There comes a time during Summer where the temperature borders on the 40°C and barely decreases at night.

Stendhal nicknamed the Lot-et-Garonne region, the French Toscane. During these dog days, grasses and trees burn under the cruel sun. And so do the people living here. 

I’m a Summer child, but I’m not particularly fond of this intense heat. I’d rather freeze in the cold of a Swedish winter than to live like that all year long.

It’s quite nice if you spend your days at BBQ or by the swimming pool, but not so much when you have to work. 

Unlike in South-East Asia or most tropical countries, it’s not common to use air conditioning to balance the heat. The locals have their own systems: siesta during the heat peak, window shutters closed all day and opened at night, old stone houses keeping the cool inside, and sometimes fans to alleviate the heaviness in the air.

When it comes to work productivity, there is no trick: you have to follow the sun. You need to wake up early, have a long nap in the afternoon, and stay up during the evening. 

Naps can be crucial to make up for the lack of sleep during the night: it’s extremely hard to sleep when your body struggles to decrease its temperature.

Add a shower or two to feel more comfortable throughout the day, and work on the ground floor with a fan if need be (the heat rises to the upper floors). 

If everything else fails, travel up North.