We're having a heatwave

Today we experienced nature in all her glory. Along with the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer here. And boy is it summer! The temperature was 31 degrees (Celsius) and there wasn't a cloud in the sky - just the day to go to a nature reserve, eh?

Well, maybe not but that wasn't going to stop us. Off we popped on the 152 bus (by far my favourite bus journey), a shortish walk later and we were on the river front. Not that you would know if you didn't know because the summer means all the water has gone. Where once there were marshes and reeds and waterbirds, now there is caked mud and an interesting deposit of glass and plastic bottles (someone should collect them for recycling). This is, I believe, normal for the height of summer and certainly nobody seemed upset. So, my dad toddled off with his binoculars and bottle of water, round the actual reserve (marshland on one side and the river on the other) while my mum and I sat and talked in the shade then wandered around the market (there is always a market). My dad got to see several new birds (including a hummingbird), mum bought a bracelet (her not-so-secret indulgence) and I just zoned out (I only got four hours sleep last night hence the disjointedness of this post).

A quick meal at the local parrilla and a bus journey home. Bullied my parents into having empanadas for tea (mini cornish pasties with different fillings) and they were so knackered they went to bed early - something I seem chronically unable to do.

Just to show how hot and bright it was, even my dad got sunburned (although he denies it strenuously).