No doubt many in rain-soaked Britain will be envying us with our summer of extraordinary heat. However, there is such a thing as too much sun. Without complaining, because this heat is not so unusual for a Bulgarian summer, it does bring disadvantages. Just as too much rain causes disastrous floods, hurricanes destroy all in their paths, high heat brings equally disastrous fires and death. In our village we seem to have more elderly deaths in summer than in winter. In winter you can sit indoors by a roaring fire but in summer there is little place to hide from such high temperatures. Bulgarian old houses are usually built with hot summers and very cold winters in mind and so the extremes are tempered somewhat. Therefore, when new Brits arrive, its best to live as the Bulgarians live for a year wherever possible before pulling down walls etc and making houses into the kind of British house they are used to. Weather will do whatever weather does and that cannot be changed but how we adapt to it can make the difference between happiness in a new country or real despair.
We should all stop and think before reaching for air-conditioners and underfloor heating that the old Bulgarians still cope in villages far better with less, than many pampered Brits. A reality check if ever one was needed, about living in this climate even though it has distinct seasons. Not for the feint- hearted.

oldun wrote:

No doubt many in rain-soaked Britain will be envying us with our summer of extraordinary heat. However, there is such a thing as too much sun. Without complaining, because this heat is not so unusual for a Bulgarian summer, it does bring disadvantages. Just as too much rain causes disastrous floods, hurricanes destroy all in their paths, high heat brings equally disastrous fires and death. In our village we seem to have more elderly deaths in summer than in winter. In winter you can sit indoors by a roaring fire but in summer there is little place to hide from such high temperatures. Bulgarian old houses are usually built with hot summers and very cold winters in mind and so the extremes are tempered somewhat. Therefore, when new Brits arrive, its best to live as the Bulgarians live for a year wherever possible before pulling down walls etc and making houses into the kind of British house they are used to. Weather will do whatever weather does and that cannot be changed but how we adapt to it can make the difference between happiness in a new country or real despair.
We should all stop and think before reaching for air-conditioners and underfloor heating that the old Bulgarians still cope in villages far better with less, than many pampered Brits. A reality check if ever one was needed, about living in this climate even though it has distinct seasons. Not for the feint- hearted.

You have a point there oldun - with our weather here approaching what the tropics are used to having, I find myself looking at the windows at the painting I have done from inside the house and not a chance of using a paint brush myself until the heat subsides. The weather today is truly blistering, at this temperature the heat is no ones friend and certainly not mine, I wanted to do some work today, but no chance when it is like this.

The storks have gone, it's even too hot for them, the three chicks went first and the Mum sat on the nest all day and occasionally called for them and after a week she threw the towel in and said "
I am off."
Many of the birds are hiding in the trees and don't want to be flying about in this heat either. So that just leaves us humans and we are hiding indoors and keeping way out of it as well. It's a shame we wait all year for the sun and when it comes out we moan and disappear indoors.

Yes, indoors in winter due to cold and snow. Indoors in summer to keep out of the heat. However, another way to sit outside in relative cool is to make an arch of vines which not only provide the fruit but useful shade. Our previous house had the whole outside area of the original part shaded by a pergola of vines which had obviously been growing for years. Also, the windows with two windows trap hot and cold air between them helping in both hot and cold weather. Maybe UPVC do the same job but it saves money if the original windows can be spruced up and kept as I think you are doing Itchyfeet. Modern ideas cost money which can be saved for other things. The Bulgarians have had years of experience living in the climate with little money. Most in villages washed outside or used basements with a sink. They must have also had frozen pipes but knew how to lag or dig down deep into the earth to prevent freezing or keeping at least one tap dripping if they didn't have a well. Yes, we can learn a lot from village Bulgarians before bringing our uptodate modern ideas into play.

And outside at the moment in and around Plovdiv, it's chucking it down! Thunder, lightning and very high winds.