Oppressive heat

When I got home from work yesterday it was 35C [95F] in the shade outside my dining room window. I can't imagine how warm it was in the sun, and it doesn't take into account the 50% humidity. I think we beat some records for heat yesterday in Montreal and elsewhere around eastern Canada.

We did our morning walk around the building around 11ish and that wasn't too bad, it takes us 10-15 minutes. We decided not to do an afternoon walk  because of the oppressive heat.  I was going to go swimming after work yesterday, but when I came to leave around 5ish I was feeling nauseous and the one thing I know from all my swimming lessons is never go in a pool when you're not feeling well. So instead I left to go home. I met a co-worker walking out and we ended up talking 15 minutes in the parking lot.

I spent a grand total of 30 minutes outside yesterday. The UV rating was so bad that my back and shoulders, and nose were a bit burned. Because of the heat I had to ask hubby to put some aloe on my back and shoulders. I could feel the sunburn.  Normally I don't burn in 30 minutes this late in the summer from so little exposure. It's not like it was the first day I wore a dress with little straps that expose all my back. I've been wearing dresses like that since early June, since it's so hot in the office. It got to  31C [88F] at my gf's desk yesterday.

It's sad I'm realizing that the UV is far worse in Montreal then it is anywhere in the Middle East. Sure the sun is strong and hot there, but I never got a burn in the Middle East, and I didn't wear sunblock if I didn't think I was going to be hours in the sun.  Sure I covered myself more in the Middle East then I do at home, but in my family we can burn even with clothes on!  It's happened to me before in Montreal and it used to happen to my aunt in Florida.

Admittedly my aunt is a pale blonde with translucent skin. I remember the first winter she spent in Florida, she came home with a brown face. I'd never seen my aunt with a tan so I asked her about it. She wore #30 sunblock and would go to beach with friends, wearing long sleeved white shirt and pants as well as a big hat. She would sit under a beach umbrella that was under the shade of palm trees and still come home burned!