EXTREME WEATHER
Portugal is obviously known for it’s glorious sunny weather. At the moment we are having a massive heat wave and it’s hard to think back to winter and remember how cold it can actually get in our cool Portuguese house. Log fires and sheepskin slippers seem a distant memory. Recently we experienced a huge thunder and lightening storm and it took out our electricity from 9.30pm – 1.30am which meant not only no lights but no air con! We don’t go to bed until midnight so this was quite an inconvenience for us and candles did not really work that well and I am so anxious about candles. I love them but rarely light them as I am so paranoid about starting a fire. A U.K fireman once told me most fires are started by candles and smoking.
We decided there was nothing we could do so went to bed thinking we had switched all the lights to the off position. Now we have some weird ass funky light switches in our house. Some turn on from upstairs but if you then turn them off from downstairs the switch reverses so I still haven’t really worked out if on or off is up or down and we have been here 6 months now! I thought it was ridiculous that previous occupants labelled all the light switches with a sharpie pen, then after about a month here I realised why. The pen labels have long worn off now so we are just left in a confused state.
I didn’t sleep much that night as the lightening was very scary and loud. Also all my insect bites itch like hell at night without the air con. At 1.30am I was just drifting off to sleep when all the lights came on and gave us such a fright. All the light switches which we thought were in the off position of upwards were actually in the on position. Hubby disappeared for ages and was filming the storm from our balcony and captured these amazing photos. It was pretty dramatic and lit up the pitch black darkness of the night sky. Lightening struck something in the distance, then we witnessed the lights of a fire engine arrive. Lightening is so freaky here as it can easily start a fire. We are having many high risk days re: fires and it does worry me a lot. We have an escape route/plan. This might sound dramatic but it’s necessary to have a plan for worse case scenario, if there is a fire in surrounding area or more close to our home especially if you have children and pets. Later we received news that indeed a fire started as the result of a lightening strike in Lousã and sadly a fire fighter lost his life and three others were injured. The ANEPC/IPMA have given warnings concerning atmospheric instability which may cause dry thunderstorms as well as rain showers. This is one of the very few instances where rural fires do not have a human origin.
Not only did the storm knock out our electricity but we also awoke to no water! Luckily the water came back on so I don’t stink like a badger’s ass. The water pressure in the kitchen is not great now so we will have to investigate this. Also since the electricity came back one of our picture frame lights in the lounge is now working. This is weird as it stopped working ages ago. There are two and the other one is still not working. Hubby tested it with his gadget thing and the wires are not connected properly so if the second light starts working we truly must have a Portuguese ghost!
I stocked up on water yesterday so if we have another water cut I won’t die of dehydration, smell and hubby’s code brown number 2’s can disappear like magic with a swirl of water in the cistern! (ha ha).
Update:
I literally just had a coffee break and noticed this thermometer in the lounge! I have been meaning to buy one for ages as the outdoors mercury one is broke. Hubby bought it from Amazon and was waiting to see how long it took me to realise it’s here. It took me 2 days! What can I say, my eyesight is pants (ha ha). It comes with a little sensor that he put outside in the shady area of our favourite spot – the covered area just by the roof tiles. So now I can tell what temp it is inside and outside. It’s already 37 outside in the shade! I’m off to retreat to the bedroom to watch a film with the air con.
2 Comments
Bollinger
4 years agoHi Helen. Wow. Look at those temperatures! Toasty. I do love a good storm though but the implications are more serious when fire is involved. A storm in the UK usually comes with lashings of rain. Fire has no chance.
I really like that thermometer. Did you ever think about putting in a plunge pool or similar?
Best,
B
Helen
4 years agoHi B,
It’s so hot here, just returned from a jog in the mid 30’s, really is glorious weather but a bit too hot for jogging. We can’t really have a plunge pool or pool here as we only have a few small terraced areas and the only place big enough is one patio area which is not convenient as it’s under the washing line and over looked from neighbour behind (although they are never there as it’s a holiday home for them). We also are on a hillside and I don’t want to say we have subsidance but there is definitely some movement going on and a pool is just not gonna work. Also quite a big expense which we don’t need at the moment. Good news is there is a river beach 10 mins down the road. I need to befriend people who own huge salt water pools with a poolside bar (ha ha).
Saw another for sale sign up whilst jogging, some land just down the road, I am curious, I just cannot help myself!
I’m off for a lie down in the air con bedroom.
Thanks,
Helen.