Bent by the load

Sunday was hot and fairly humid. Just as J finished her waffles, the power went off. She was already rather too warm - she easily gets too hot in bed, and it had been a mild and sticky night - and after a spell of manual fanning and cold flannels, we had just set up her desk fan. The power cut lasted something over three hours, making the day considerably more trying: although I had huge numbers of things to do which did not require electricity, the only things J can do independently involve electronics, plugging directly into the mains or drawing on the wifi system, so she needed me to do something with her. She was also getting hotter and hotter, despite my best efforts to keep her hydrated, shaded, fanned and sponged as well as dosed with paracetamol. We were increasingly alarmed, though to our relief her temperature did finally start to fall and later, with the power restored, she enjoyed a cool shower and a reasonably comfortable night.

Later, researching ways of keeping wheelchair users cool in heatwaves, I made an important and unexpected discovery: people with spinal injuries or spinal cord damage often have difficulty regulating core temperature and may not sweat. Over the past winter J has often felt chilly, asking for more heating as well as extra blankets; now, it seems, her ability to cope with the hot, sunny weather she has previously enjoyed during many holidays to hot places has also been affected. This is another thing we shall have to monitor and manage in future, and is not good news as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather. 

I've never been a huge fan of whatever kind of cypress this is, but the male and female parts are both prolific this year and their detail is fascinating. This was a quick photo from the edge of the deck; I will use the macro lens next time.