But I Smile Anyway…

Linda’s #SoCS prompt this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “clean/dirty.” Use one, use both, use ’em any way you like. Enjoy!

Dirty is exactly how I felt today.

If you aren’t in the UK, we are in the midst of a mini heatwave. The temperatures have hit over 100°F/38°C in some places and we have been sweltering.

I know there are pther places who regularly deal with heat that is over 40°C. In fact my brother sent a photo today showing that where they are in Finland at the moment had a temperature of 48.1°C!

OMG!!! I’d die!

Anyway, here in the UK we are ill prepared for weather that is heatwave worthy. The houses and places of work aren’t generally equipped with air conditioning, and fans – well we all know how much help they are in the heat… pushing hot air around, rather than cooling you down.

The heat itself is just different. The humidity is high and that is what makes it uncomfortable. Days you spend perspiring (not gently, at all) and nights you spend tossing and turning, frantic to find a cool spot on your sheets.

Thursday was my last day at school, and it was the official hottest day of the summer so far. Great day to have all my nursery babies in, with their parents, to celebrate their progress in class this year, in a room that had a tiny fan… twice over!

I started the introductions and whatnot, and could feel rivulets of sweat rolling down the side of my face, dripping down my back, just generally everywhere. A handheld fan made no difference whatsoever. The morning session ended with us saying goodbye, and the hugs we gave the students were sticky.

Then I had a staff leavers assembly to attend. 420 kids in a hall and lots of adults… no AC. It was torture!

After that we had Lil Princess’s leaver’s assembly which was emotional, and I needed tissues for my eyes as well as for mopping my damp brow. They then went outside for photos and general hugs, but it was too hot!

As I began to melt, the children were sent in and parents waved off.

A quick lunch then I had Nursery celebration take 2 with the afternoon session. The sweating was even worse!

We ended the day with a cream tea in one of the 4 classrooms in our school that actually has AC. It was bliss!

Then back into our own rooms that were stifling.

I looked at the mirror. My hair was plastered to my head. I felt itchy. My scalp, dirty with the grime of a busy day.

All I wanted to do was get home and jump in the shower to wash my hair clean.

But I couldn’t. You see there is some crazy superstition in the Indoan culture about washing your hair on a Thursday being bad luck for your brother. Don’t ask me. I just get told these things and they stick in your head.

So I didn’t wash it.

I wasn’t about to yesterday morning either. I had a day full of heaving furtniture around in my new clasroom and I knew I would be sweating buckets again.

What’s the point?

Better I wash it and have a lovely end of day shower.

And, oh my, you should have seen the water as it rinsed off my head… YUCK!

I came out of the shower fresh as a daisy, feeling so cool and CLEAN!

For precisely one minute.

Seriously. That is how long it took for beads of sweat to start forming on my upper lip and forehead again.

What was the point???

But surely rather than hair staying dirty another day, it was better to have at least a moment of clean!

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS July 27/19