Writing about extreme heat, by Elizabeth Kay

 

So last month I wrote about extreme cold, when the temperature in Finland was -34.5⁰. Last week I went to the Gambia, where it was over 40⁰. I am sitting here in Surrey writing this covered with insect bites, and really feeling the cold even though it isn’t cold at all. It’s just the contrast. Contrast is so important when you’re writing. When you shift from one setting to another you have to think about all the senses that make it come alive, and how things differ from your previous location. Visually: bright or dull? Busy or quiet? Sound: Voices? Traffic? Birdsong? Music? Silence? Smell: Foliage, flowers, cooking, wet dogs, drains? Taste: bland or exotic? Sweet or savoury? Familiar or unfamiliar? And finally, touch. That’s when you really notice the heat. Can you walk across a tiled floor by a swimming pool without burning your feet? Does picking up a glass of cold beer/Coke/Wonjo juice feel like heaven? Are you just as hot as night? What do you wear, and how well do you sleep? Do you need a mosquito net?

There are two types of heat – dry and humid. Humid is the worst, because water vapour clings to you. Humid heat feels more intense than dry heat because it hinders the evaporation of sweat, which is the way our body cools us down. When the air is already saturated with water vapour, sweat has a harder time evaporating, leading to a slower cooling effect and making you feet hotter still. It’s harder to breathe, as well, because high humidity increases the density of the air, making it feel heavy and requiring more effort to breathe. Bad news for any of your characters who have asthma or COPD.          

Dry heat feels less hot, but that doesn’t mean it’s better for you. You sweat more, which cools you down a bit, but it means you have to drink more to compensate. Remember that older people don’t feel the urge to drink as much as younger people, and that can lead to serious consequences. Dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, headache, cramps, low blood pressure, delirium, loss of consciousness, seizures... death.

Hot countries have very different flora and fauna. Insects thrive in warmer climates because their metabolism and reproductive rates increase with higher temperatures, leading to faster development and breeding cycles. And insects carry a lot of nasty diseases. Your characters should be sleeping under mosquito nest, and taking malaria tablets. Here’s a few others to consider: Chagas disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), rabies, schistosomiasis, trachoma, and yaws. And they still have bubonic plague in Madagascar.

I think this is a puff adder...
any other suggestions?

Reptiles thrive in warmer climates too, so it’s as well to be aware of the different sorts of snakebite and what to look out for. Snake venom is highly toxic saliva; hemotoxins (target blood vessels; pain, haemorrhages), neurotoxins (target nervous system; less painful, but fast-acting) cytotoxins (target cells, and lead to tissue damage, myotoxins (lead to necrosis). Fortunately, most snakes are more active at night when you’re lying on top of the bed because even  a sheet is too hot… The upside is that there are more colourful birds in the tropics, and cruising along a waterway in a canoe is a very pleasant and reasonably cool way of passing the time. Unless your boat gets attacked by a hippo, of course.. The tusk can go right through a makoro (Botswanan canoe) – see below.

 

Husband in the Okavango Delta,
photo by me

That’s the weather, then. But what about man-induced heat? The wildfires that have been burning in many regions of the world, accidental fires, arson. The closest I have got a fire was when my elder daughter ignored what I said and lit candles in her bedroom. They ignited some paper, which then attacked her printer and keyboard, and before long there was a lot of smoke. I remember very clearly the smuts that floated down the hall like destroying angels, and the patterns the smoke made on the ceilings. The brightness of the yellow and orange flames in the sudden twilight of the house, the smell of melting plastic, and the sight of a keyboard singed and twisted like toasted marshmallows. The unexpected heat in a room that shouldn’t have been hot. Fortunately, the fire was put out fairly quickly, but I have never forgotten what it was like, and how quickly it took hold.

I did witness a bush fire in Turkey, and watched a plane scooping up water from a lake in a sort of bag and dumping it on the flames. Even there, in the summertime, I was keenly aware that one side of my face was hotter than the other.

this hole was made
by a hippo, on the canoe
in front of us

 

I think I’m going to finish with a couple of ice cream recipes, for which you need an ice cream maker – much cheaper these days than they used to be. The best edible solution on a hot day.

 Marmalade ice cream – the slight bitterness offsets the sweetness beautifully.

 330g good quality marmalade – orange or tangerine.

300mls whipping cream

300mls full cream milk

50g caster sugar

2 tblspns of orange juice.

 In a blender or food processor combine the marmalade sugar and milk. When the sugar is dissolved, add the cream and blend briefly. Add the orange juice, and sieve if you don’t like the little bits of rind. I do, actually. Put it in the freezer for 45 minutes, then stir and tip into the ice cream machine. I don’t see why you can’t just freeze it, and stir up up now and again, but I’ve never tried that.

 Blueberry ice cream – this is my all-time favourite.

 2 cups blueberries

1 cup granulated sugar

½ tspn vanilla paste

Pinch salt

1 cup whole milk

1 cup semi-skimmed milk

2 cups double cream

 

Blend the blueberries

Add the sugar, heat in a saucepan on a medium low hear until the sugar dissolves

Refrigerate until cold

Add vanilla, salt, milk and cream. Mix all ingredients.

Use your ice cream maker, and then freeze to allow the ice cream to ‘ripen’.

 

And now, as it’s a hot day, I shall treat myself to a small bowl of it! Cheers!

  

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