So how do you keep cool in this heat?

After the recent heatwave in England I have had a few friends asking me how I keep cool in the heat of summer. Here we have week after week of high temperatures so we are more prepared for it than having the odd week in the middle of a cool wet summer.

The main thing is to wear as few clothes as possible and to move slowly, easier said than done if you have a job of work to do or a family of young children to look after.

If you can plan your day to suit, an early start is best - whether it's walking the dogs, housework or tidying the garden - getting an early start has two benefits, one is that you are doing them at the coolest part of the day (a must for dog walking) and secondly, it gets the chores out of the way so you can relax and enjoy the day, and if you need to - a little sleep at siesta time to recharge the batteries.

I lose track of the number of times I shower and change clothes in a day, at least the clothes dry very quickly so although there is more washing to do - it doesn't seem like it because it's washed, dried and away in a matter of hours. Ironing is an almost impossible task in this heat so the trick is buy clothes that don't need ironing where possible, and to put them away after washing in a way that will keep creasing to a minimum.

I know a lot of the Brits that come to Spain, either on holiday or to live, complain about the restaurants not serving the food piping hot and not warming the plates, but I must admit to doing things the Spanish way now - as I get so hot if I eat piping hot food or drink red hot coffee - instead, I allow my meals and drinks to cool a little now. I also find if I drink too many chilled drinks I seem to constantly want more - I find drinking coffee better, but then I have always been a huge coffee drinker.

Sleeping at night is a big issue in the heat of summer. There are cooling pads you can get to put under your pillows, which some of our friends have said help. We just use a floor standing fan and have it blowing across the bed. So far we have been able to sleep quite well. We have a cool shower before bed, and find this helps us get to sleep. Last summer we had the aircon on all night but this year haven't found we need - to so maybe we are acclimatising to the heat a little.

Finally, we have lots of fans in the rooms to keep the air circulating. We do have air conditioning but prefer to use the fans, have the doors and windows open and when we can - we enjoy the outdoor living this weather allows. There is often a breeze in the garden, a quiet corner in the shade, a good book, a G&T and a comfy chair - and we let other people run around in the heat of the day.

And where are the dogs in all this heat? Laid under the table, in the shade, infront of a fan - not daft are they?