The Air (conditioning) That I Breathe

"The Air That I Breathe" by the Hollies is one of the enduring songs of the 70s for me. The lyrics paint a picture of such peace and contentment and are perfectly complimented by the music. Hats off to The Hollies! Well no actually, the song was written and recorded by Albert Hammond 2 years before the Hollies 1974 hit made it famous. And in fact Phil Everly and Cilla Black got their hands on it before The Hollies. I recently discovered a website called Second Hand Songs that lists original artists and all cover versions for a huge catalogue of music. For example, did you know that Beethoven's fifth symphony is actually a cover version and was originally written by - only kidding, but be honest, were you even a little bit taken in?

Planning for these family holidays generally follows a familiar sequence of events. Laura suggests going on holiday abroad and asks us to come with them. I say no, not in July, it's too hot, but then feel guilty. I eventually say OK and I am sure inwardly everyone else is thinking "He always does that, why not just say yes right away and save everyone the hassle". Jackie then proposes numerous potential apartments to rent and I apply them to my 2 filters. Firstly, is it anywhere remotely near where we are flying to (you'd be surprised how many suggested properties fail at the first hurdle). Then, if we are in the right geographical area, does it have air conditioning? You won't be surprised to learn that for me that is more important than does it have a pool.

Last night was uncomfortably hot, a late cloud cover trapping in the heat of the day. Sitting around the patio table at close to midnight, it was still 21 degrees. Thankfully, my second filter ensured our villa has air conditioning throughout. At home, air conditioning means turning up the central heating, and the radiant distribution of the heat generated is more or less silent. And therein lies the issue with ACUs - generally they require a fan to distribute the cold air. Fine during the heat of the day, but in the still of the night it is more problematic. Firstly, there is the noise : effect ratio to contend with - turn the fan down too much and you won't get sufficient cooling, too high and you won't sleep. Then, assuming you hit the sweet spot, you sleep through the times when the ambient temperature crosses the comfort line, such that the night is punctuated by being wakened because you are too cold, or too hot and having to turn the ACU off, or back on. It wouldn't be so bad If I could get the requirements of my ageing bladder in sync with the requirements of my body temperature sensors. Maybe then I wouldn't come down for breakfast like a half-shut knife.

If you avidly read these blogs to find out what Colin did and what Colin did next, then I must apologise. As the days get hotter and hotter, the inclination to do anything much at all diminishes to the point where "Nothing Ever Happens" by Del Amitri is in danger of becoming the title of tomorrow's report. As the week has gone on, I have developed a strategy for dealing with the intense heat of the day. I can lie out on the poolside sofa for the best part of the morning, reading my book and generally joining in with the family banter. But once the sun arrives on the patio, or to be more exact, once the rotational forces at work on the sofa bring it into direct alignment with the sun, I become helpful. "I'm just going in to make a coffee, would anyone like one" or "I thought I would start lunch, is this a good time for you". It is a strategy that has served me well up till now, but having documented it am slightly concerned I will be found out. Just slightly, as I suspect the troops have quite enough of me in real time without the need for a refresher course.....

Although we mostly hung around the villa today, we did head down to the marina later in the afternoon as Lucy wanted to swim in the Adriatic. There is a pebble beach not far from us which is ideally suited for the purpose and Kevan and Lucy did venture in, as the attached photos show. They reported that the temperature was warmer than the pool and I took them at their word. I had been back in the pool this afternoon and I fully subscribe to the theory that you can have too much of a good thing.Read more