Picture from Pixabay

Answers to today’s questions at thefridayfive @ Dreamwith.

1) What’s your favorite dish to bring to a summer cookout?

I/we love fresh strawberries and real whipped cream, so I bake something and fill/decorate with strawberries and real whipped cream, or don’t bake at all and just bring them as-is, that’s delicious too! I might also bring chicked fillets for grilling.

2) How much time have you spent outdoors this week?

I’ve only been outside when I’ve run errands and needed to wait for the bus, or did quick runs outside like taking out the trash. I’ve no idea how much that amounts to… propably 30 mins or so. It’s been a too hot for me.

3) Where do you set your thermostat?

Is that to do with adjustable inbuilt air conditioning? That’s not a thing in Finnish homes. Most homes don’t have adjustable air conditioning. If we have air conditioning it’s later added as needed and usually movable – a fan (xx euros), portable air condition device (XXX euros), or in the last 10 years, a heat pump that’s mounter on the wall with another piece outside (XXXX euros, can cool in the summer and also warm in the winter but these aren’t allowed in all apartment buildings, or are allowed with such strict limitations that it isn’t cost efficient). With hot summers getting to the norm, looks like, I can only hope that adjustable air conditioning will slowly become the default in building new homes going forward.

In the winter, I try to set the domestic radiator so that it’s about 20-21 degrees Celsius inside.

4) How did you learn to swim?

My Mom and Dad… I’ve known how to swim as far back as I can remember, and I’ve always loved swimming. We used to go swimming every week, and camping every summer where the camp had it’s own beach by the sea, just a minute or two walk away. We did all this right since I was born – long before school, and I was a really good swimmer by the time school started. I used to love going swimming with my class because I didn’t have to partake in the lessons after the inital test (I was too advanced for them) and could just swim as I liked, it was like an extra fun time to me! And I was allowed to the adult pool where I normally swam long before most of my classmates. There were one or two good swimmers in addition to me, so it wasn’t common to know how to swim well at that age in my school, or class at least.

5) How do you avoid overheating?

By staying our of the sun! I hate being in sun and the brightness is also too much for my migraine, so indoors it is. I try to avoid using the oven, at least during the day but even so, it’s gets hot inside.

To avoid overheating myself indoors – I point my fan where I am (usually my couch, and my bed at night), and I drink a lot of water/mineral water/juice mixture with salt, sugar and baking soda added in…. I got that recipe from the hospital because I have chronic diarrhea (joys of Crohn’s Disease) and so have to watch out for dehydration even in the winter but most especially in hot weather. I also drench towels in ice cold water and wipe my arms and legs down because it feels so good for several minutes. I can take a shower in lukewarm water but don’t really dry off and instead stay naked and preferably in front of my fan until I’m mostly dry because that feels lovely as well! And of course I also eat a lot of ice cream, ice scream/milk shakes and mehujää… dictionary says ice lolly? ice pop? It’s juice that’s frozen in sticks.

But I mostly just endure summer and wait for the autumn.