Summer's here for real

We are roasting in this heat. (My computer is trying to tell me that it's 13 Celcius where I am - whut??) I always feel like a total wimp for complaining about the heat, because I've got loads of friends scattered across the US and most of them get much hotter summers than we do. Crucially, they also have air conditioning in their houses. This summer is the first time I've appreciated having a bathroom with no windows. It's like a little tiled cell right in the heart of the building, insulated by other rooms on all sides, and it's lovely and cool in there right now.

Sadly I'm not allowed to spend the whole day reading on the bathroom floor in my underwear. The Bat requires feeding (like at LEAST three times a day, how demanding) and I've got to get some passport photos done so that I can renew my provisional driving licence. The nearest photo machine is at Sainsbury's, so I'm promising myself that we can get ice lollies for the freezer while we're there.

I'm not cut out for hot sunny weather. I'm one of those people who overheat really easily, so I go all red and blotchy and awful long before anyone else. And I don't much like wearing summer clothes. Ideally I want to be in a big cardigan and stompy boots at all times, otherwise I feel kind of exposed. Today I'm in a T-shirt and long cotton skirt, but am still trying to figure out whether I can wear jeans to the shop without melting.

I really want to get a paddling pool for the Bat. Plus she still needs a swimming costume and swim nappies - I can't really swim, so I always chicken out of taking her swimming on my own even though we'd probably just splash around in the baby pool. We meant to do it last week while Owl was on holiday, but got caught up in other things and didn't get round to it. Oh well.