Saturday 9 August 2003

Pic of the day: A shelter from the sun.

The forest is so cool

The heat wave over Europe shows no sign of abating. On the contrary, some places see the highest temperatures since measurements began, which in some cases reach back a couple hundred years. Now in all fairness, that is not a long time when we speak about the climate. Because weather is such a fractal thing, patterns within patterns, there are bound to be records broken somewhere from time to time, just as some waves rise higher than others. If all records were broken at the same time, there would be cause for worry.

Even so, the heat is definitely on. On average, it is warmer than usual. But even that is not the greenhouse effect directly; there is an "anticyclone" - a high-pressure area - over Europe, and it directs desert air from northern Africa up into Europe. This need not be caused by human industry; it could be part of a long trend in climate, as the world still recovers from the Little Ice Age. The sun's output increases steadily, if slowly. But it is unlikely that pouring lots of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere will cool the planet down, I dare say.

***

Be that as it may, my basement apartment is too hot to live in, at least during the afternoon. The greenhouse effect is in no doubt here, as the huge triple glass windows catch the heat of the sun and keep it. Even with the off-white curtains drawn, enough heat fills the room so that it is unpleasant to stay there even without clothes. Keeping my hair wet helps a bit, but I really wish I had a fan. I don't mean a fan of my journal, but a fan that blows the air around so it could cool off my hot skin. But I forgot to buy; at work, we have a very efficient cooling system, so I meet the baker's oven first when I open the door to the street.

This is where the forest comes in handy. Only a stone's throw from the house is the edge of the forest. And what's even better, the homes are up near the top of the hill; when people water their lawns in the evening (every other day, from 8PM till midnight) the water eventually finds its way down to the forest. So no matter how the sun bakes, the forest just laughs it off. As long as it has water, it can absorb any amount of sunshine and stay cool. Or so it seems.

I left my feverishly hot apartment, crossed the slightly cooler yard, and soon slipped into the shade. Here is hardly any breeze, but I don't need it. As the sun passes slowly to its place of rest, intense golden pools of light form where the canopy briefly opens to the sky. But most of the ground is in the shadow. Shadowy enough that I can easily read and write on my pocket PC. Occasionally a fly or mosquito comes by, but mostly I am left alone. The humans seem to prefer their lawns, despite the heat. Those who cannot stand it have probably driven their baking hot cars to the beach. I suspect it is pretty crowded there. But no one expects the forest!

A dragonfly passes me repeatedly. I appreciate it: They eat mosquitoes; if you stay calm, they may patrol the air space around you, intercepting airborne attacks.

***

I have written this entry here in the forest, only a number of steps from the sanded path. Two girls and a pet passed by on the path some time ago. Later a well fed cat passed alone the other way. It stopped, meowed at me once, and continued. Now one of the pools of radiance has started to surround me. In the bright light I see countless small hints that the summer is growing old. Leaves have small holes, eaten by insects that have since moved on. A tiny white ball, looking at first like a small abandoned cocoon, starts to move slowly. There is plenty of food for a long time yet. But other leaves are brown and drying from disease. When fall comes, the forest is already tired and worn. I sympathize with it. This time seemed so far away once. But now that autumn is looming, I start to accept. The leaf may wither, and after many years the tree will also one spring stand dry and lifeless. But other trees will spring up where sunshine kisses the ground. The forest prevails.

The stone is getting hard. It is time to return to the synthetic world and its man-made heat. The forest will drink my breath, and then my stay here will be forgotten.