The moment I sit down in my lounge I feel good. I have a definite sense of well-being in my small leather settee with my cappuccino on the seat pad to my left, a glass of cold water to my right and a powerful fan creating  a gentle breeze on the floor in front of me. Out of the window to my right I can see clear blue sky with no cloud and, for the first morning in a few mornings, the mahonia fronds in the front garden are swaying gently, as are the roses, and even the potentilla is jiggling stiffly in response to the breeze – a gentle breeze it may be but it is most welcome. 

At 9 o’clock I found myself pulling the back door – actually French windows – almost shut, and the kitchen door likewise. That is earlier than usual but hardly surprising as the heat is building up day by day. There was already nothing to be gained by leaving them open as to do so would have increased internal temperatures more rapidly than would otherwise be the case. It is already 25-26 degrees around the home, which is at the top of the comfort range for me. It will be distinctly uncomfortable by tea-time and there will be nothing I can do about it. I know what a smart home is and for some thirty years or so I have wanted to live in one, but I live in a dumb house. Most houses in Britain are dumb, so I am not alone.

I have developed a new habit that I found amusing at first, but which I enjoy in a way that I wish I had started it sooner: in the evening I soak my feet in warm soapy water for half an hour or so. I never thought I’d see the day! Whilst I may previously – and perhaps wrongly – have thought it to be a symptom of age it is not; it is a sensible response to the heat and, because I have been wearing shorts and no socks for some days now, hugely beneficial. So, last night at about 10 o’clock I was sat in my living room with doors open and Babylon 5 on the television – and my feet in a bowl of water!

I wonder what other strange new habits I will develop in the years to come?