At 19:56 we raised the heat-shields. So far so good.

We have heat-shields on our windows. Roll-down shutters.

As this part of France is officially in a heatwave (Canicule - defined in the Gironde as temperatures above 35 in the daytime and not falling below 21 at night) the government has issued the following instructions:

1) Spend at least 3 hours a day in a cool place. (for us this would mean hanging about in Carrefour or in the local library)

2) Refresh yourself, moisten your body several times a day.

3) Drink frequently and copiously, even when you are not thirsty.

4) Don't go out at the hottest times.

The hottest times are from about 2 in the afternoon till about 6 pm. The morning is OK, and in Pessac  we also get nice breezes. But after lunch you can't stay out on the terrace, you have to get back in the house behind the shutters. And even then it's so hot you are aware that you're thinking sluggishly.

So in the afternoon we live like troglodytes in the gloom hidden behind our heat-shields. 
We can venture out in the early morning, but by lunchtime you fry out there. 
The postman spontaneously combusted, but the mailbox is metal so the letters were OK.

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