MY THERMOSTAT'S BROKEN

Was it just me, or was last night particularly hot. In terms of air temperature that is, don’t exactly have any other sort of hot nights these days. Tossing and turning and throwing off the doona at 1.30, 4.30 and 6.30, giving up and getting up at that point seemed the best option, so have caught up with my emails, the latest on my friends blogs, checking the bank balance, and am now watching the fog roll in almost like a winter’s morning.

Except it’s not. We’ve finally managed to string a few days together of fairly decent summer weather, not bad for Tassie, so the fog will probably just up the humidity for the day. Not that it makes much difference what the weather does, my body has a way of turning on its own heater whenever it feels like it, and very often at the most inopportune moments, like talking to the guys in the office about some convoluted financial process which must leave them wondering why I’m blushing.

But I’m not! Has anyone really got to the bottom of what hot flushes are all about? With all manner of potions and medications to offset the effects of these sometimes random, often very frequent events, I decided to do it cold turkey when they first invaded my body, took over my internal thermostat control and became part of my regular routine.

And when was that? Nearly seven and a half years ago! Will this ever end I ask my friendly doctor. He just smiles benignly and says yes… great comfort, thanks doc. Just when you think you haven’t had one for a while and maybe this is finally the end, that telltale faint warm glow begins on your face, then within five seconds cranks itself up about three thousand notches to super duper intolerably extreme. Not to be content with merely the face it then works its way south and out to the extremities, whereupon as many layers as is decently possible in the confines of the office are suitably ripped off until the tropical tsunami passes.

I mean, if I wanted to be that hot I’d go trekking in the Sahara or through the Amazon jungle, but over the years I’ve discovered there are a few side benefits. I haven’t needed flannelette sheets or pillow cases for a very long time, I’m usually turning over the pillow at 3am looking for a cool patch……did I say a few? That’s probably the only one I can think of offhand.

So, next time you’re having a Big M moment, or your internal combustion heater has turned itself on at no request from you, and the thermostat appears to be totally on the blink, be encouraged, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not sure I’ve even spotted the speck in the distance yet, but……my turn will come.