The HEAT

I have a small personal evaporative chiller , about the size of a toaster , that I use in my bedroom  to help get to sleep on really hot nights. 
Not sure if you can get them where you are , but it wasn't expensive and easy to get home on the bus.

I don't have a/c in my flat btw , but get by with a fan and keeping the sun out as much as possible. The trick is to shut everything up at night before the sun comes up. Once things heat up it's too late .

Thank goodness it's much cooler today. I've just had to put a jumper on. Bliss! Admittedly I am still in shorts.

I imagine no noisier than the air con. I have a portable air con unit and it is both heavy and noisy but I've been so glad of it recently!

In a former job I looked after one of these, and they all (or most) have them. The equipment for measuring particles has a heater in it, but the logger would go wonky when got too hot (or too cold, or if there was even a brief power cut). One Summer the air conditioning wasn't working properly so while we waited for the replacement it was my job to go and physically open the door to let the heat out on hot days. For important health and safety reasons I would stop off at the shop for an ice-cream on the way. 

But on a more serious note, air conditioning contributes to climate change. Partly because the units are energy intensive, but also because many of them use gases with warming potential much higher than carbon dioxide. Lots of extra people getting home air conditioning will make things worse. Some systems are better than others, but air conditioning should be the last line of defence.

We need better building design, and to understand how to apply tips from hotter countries to our own homes and lifestyles. And persuade people with gardens and the council to plant more trees. Streets with trees are cooler than streets with concrete.

As well as the advice about when to have windows, blinds and curtains open and closed, it's cheaper, and better for the environment is to get one of those water sprays that you can use to mist your plants, or for dampening your hair. Spraying the air makes it a bit like being near a fountain, and spraying soft furnishings, including closed curtains, will enhance the cooling, especially if you can incorporate a breeze. In the high heat I was working with a damp towel over the back of my chair, creating my own mini-micro-climate, and when super-hot I had a damp flannel that I would use to wipe my face, arms and neck. All that plus ice-cream for lunch.

Also resist the temptation to hang your washing up outside. Hang it up inside, either dotted around your home or on a clothes horse in a space you want kept cool. If you have a fan you could have it blow air over your damp clothes for a cool breeze.

The shutters they have in some countries are the most effective at preventing heating from direct sunshine, but regular blinds are easier to install and to adjust so you can still get some natural light and stay cool on days that are hot, but not that hot.

Remember when everyone was complaining about 'the heat'? Well nobody is complaining now.

It rained on Sunday; it rained on Monday; it rained on Thursday; it rained yesterday; it's raining today; it probably rained on Tuesday and Wednesday too. It feels like I went to bed on Saturday night and woke up in MCR!

Nothing too hot, but the mid-20s would be nice for a bit.

Think of all the summer fetes and fayres; all the brides and grooms hoping for nice photos (mainly the brides, if truth be told); all the WMC outings to Brid; all the festivals...

Nor have we, apart from a couple of 5 minutes showers. And the current mid-20s temperatures are still hotter than I'd like, so I'm still complaining TallPaul !

After reading this article suicide seems the best option. www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/30/total-climate-meltdown-inevitable-heatwaves-global-catastrophe

Are home rain barrels common in the UK? They seem to be having a resurgence if some quarters of the US as people try to get better at conserving natural resources.

I think you might be talking about what we call a water butt? 

They are a thing, but will need to become more common. They aren't just good for reducing demand on fresh water supplies, the ones connected to your downpipe help (ever so slightly) to reduce peak flow in the storm-water drains, helping to limit flooding and to protect the ecosystems in rivers that can be knocked out of balance when the storm-water systems overflow into them.

I expect they'll become more popular with greater awareness of the value of our water resources and gardeners worried about hosepipe bans.

The weather looks ghastly for the next week: temperatures around 30 degrees every day. Why can't this bloody summer just end? It feels like it's been going on for years.