The label on a piece of timber we bought from B&Q years ago warned about this very problem… “WARNING : wood products may contain splinters.” !!
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The reason I chose Normandy after deciding that the heat of Valencia was going to become excessive, a restriction on life up with which I did not want to put.
I used to be OK in heat - lived in Singapore, worked in CA, AZ, IT, ES - 74 y.o - not now.
These sorts of events are going to become more fequent and possibly more intense, I believe. That was the basis of my decision.
It’s not just sunny weather that gives UV peaks. At my boatyard on the Tamar, Devon, I had a team of MoD scientists based there running checks on all sorts of parameters in the river and around, connected to the RN dockyards at Devonport.
They had a UV recorder. One January they came to download their readings and found that the UV reading was the highest they had ever seen.
Getting sufficient Vit D from sunlight does not involve staking oneself out to fry. Just normal activities in light summer clothing will do.
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It’s an interesting one, as I’m right down there in the inferno right now! Yes it is a tad uncomfortable outside right now (potentially understatement of the year 
) but must say, I’m more than willing to sacrifice a few days inside and benefit from the milder sunnier rest of the year days. I guess everyone’s different, but I certainly appreciate the overall far milder climate. I guess the only other issue is water, but touch wood, my well has never dried out and there has been plenty of water so far to meet my needs - long may that continue 
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I used to lose 10-12 weeks p.a. to really uncomfortable heat, at VLC. I’d been visiting at least 2x p.a for 15 years before living there for 5. The summers were clearly heating up. Late Oct to mid-May were sublime, esp Nov-Feb.
I lived in a marvellous part - the old city, my flat in a quiet pedestrianised area - but stepping out in that heat was just not on, no pleasure at all.
I arrived at the Dr one time in a muck sweat afer a 15 min walk across the city centre “Paper towels, please Dr. I am raining on your desk”
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Well I’m due to go to a nearby friends house this afternoon and will bike it, so just hope I’m not dripping when I get there and the air cools me as I push along 
crazy weather! Just hoping I don’t get any deaths in the garden of the plant variety 
33 is not so bad. I expect they are in and out of the pool a lot. Personally I would be under an umbrella and in and out of the pool. Bit hot for site seeing and I doubt they want to spend their holiday indoors !!
I have just taken some towels out of the freezer for the dog…he is seriously not happy.
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Just come back from the pond where the water temp is 24 and the air in the shade above it is 37. Before that I went to Nontron for a couple ot items and the car showed 42 outside. Thank goodnness for A/C and the fact that so few had ventured out that I found a shady spot for the dog in the car at each of my 3 stops. 
It hit the 40 mark easily again today. My neighbour can’t work after midday as he is a maçon and its just too hot so he comes home and stays indoors like the rest of us. Storms currently in the mountains and the sky has that look but we don’t get it much down here on the plain of Rousillon near the sea
43 this afternoon. We went to a cave this morning, an hour on a train at 13c, it qad heaven! He warned us to be careful going out die to thermic shock!! Evening at the pool in the village (28) cooling off. Tonight we bought out the stand fan, amazing! Kept us cooler and really helped with the mozzies!
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Yesterday, our little village was topping 42.5C in the shade. Sun was burning. Hoping for relief, not least so we can resume dog walks, this weekend.
Two things I have concluded, that may be of interest to others. Extreme heat, and cold, is much more difficult to manage as we age. All those years I lived in far hotter climes and yet I managed much better than now. Even without going outside, my face feels tight and burnt. 
The second thing, scientifically recognised but long presaged by a friend of mine in Singapore, is that for some reason our thirst trigger diminishes with age. Having had the bladder of a camel throughout my life, I now find I need to remind myself to drink a glass of water. Perhaps I should be drinking more and my face wouldn’t feel so painful. Water, not tea or Rosé or beer.
Here’s a clear and simple description
https://podcasts.ufhealth.org/why-aging-doesn’t-make-you-thirsty/
There are more scientific reports but it’s really too hot for big words.
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The cat looks unhappy and seeks shade wherever he can but he doesn’t seem to like being indoors on the cool floor for some reason. I know he’s more of an outdoor cat so prefers to keep his ears and eyes open for mice or grasshoppers. But at the moment he’s spaced out under some shade. He’s got plenty of fresh water but prefers the warm mucky pond water! My sister used to shave their long haired cat in summer. Spike hated it at first but realised the benefits of shaven fur and was like a new cat 15 minutes later after the shave, full of energy!
At night we have the fans going, windows open, and I’ve taken to cuddling up to a hot water bottle filled with cold water from the fridge. But I can’t win because the cat heats me up when he sleeps right next to me. 
Good trick for getting to sleep at night that I learnt in Brazil. Have a cold shower last thing at night, don’t dry off, just have a towel on the bed and go straight to bed.
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I have taken to something similar during the day, i no longer dry off coming back from the pond after each visit. It does make a difference.
In the house, after battling the aides to keep windows open with a big fan to channel the air through, I have now been forced by the sheer heat of that air, to close everything and put the climas on. Bliss, but it is like hot slap in the face when going outside.
If anyone is interested, our climas are our air to air heaters for the winter simply turned to a different setting. They are both wonderful.
Hi David, would you mind telling me what make your heating/cooling is, and is it expensive to run?
Many thanks!
I recently purchased a usb rechargeable floor mounted fan which has a great low fan speed when set at its lowest, so I’ve had that close to the bed and kept it on all night. Low level air movement and quiet. I have a large floor mounted mains fan and it’s a)far too powerful and b)noisy to be able to sleep with. It has made a major difference and means staying cool overnight - very pleased!
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Maybe speaking out of turn here, but just to chip in also that I’ve been using my split units to cool with the recent hot days. I have a 2kw and a 2.5kw unit running from one compressor unit outside. I mainly use the 2kw unit at the moment, and that generally settles at about 550W when cooling, so 0.55KWhr if used for one hour. When it starts up I’ve seen it get up to 850W but that is only for a very brief period initially while it cranks up. The units I have are Fujitsu Atlantic. Sharing this info as I would have been pleased to receive it myself when I was exploring. I’m using mine with solar so not so conscious of usage time as long as the sun shines during the day and my batteries remain charged for the evenings.
A bit like @Bonzocat’s mention yesterday of wetting hair through under a tap, and leaving it wet
ISTR reading somewhere that only just lukewarm showers are better than cold ones for cooling, guessing maybe the body doesn’t fight so much to recover from a lukewarm one.
If I had any space in my freezer I’d be half filling a hot water bottle and freezing it. Probably my newer silicon one as if there’s any difference could be slightly better frozen than the older rubber one that is my favourite.