Of course, after watching my gardener and his brother fricassee themselves operating power tools in yesterday’s heat, I had to go out there too and prove I could take it. I did, at least, go armed with a full iced keg; on the other hand, I was breaking in some new teenaged yard help, which made the whole operation kind of dicey. Teenagers consider themselves invincible and have to be nagged to drink water.
I ran out of time, but I meant to play this for her.
Who can equal the master?
In tropical climes
There are certain times
Of day
When all the citizens retire
To take their clothes off and perspire.
It’s one of those rules
That the greatest fools
Obey,
Because the sun is far too sultry
And one must avoid its ultry
Violet ray.
The natives grieve
When the white men leave
Their huts.
Because they’re obviously,
Definitely
Nuts.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The Japanese don’t care to,
The Chinese wouldn’t dare to,
Hindus and Argentines
Sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen
Detest a
Siesta.
In the Philippines
They have lovely screens
To protect you from the glare.
In the Malay states
There are hats like plates
Which the Britishers won’t wear.
At twelve noon
The natives swoon,
And no further work is done,
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun!
Such a surprise
For the eastern eyes
To see,
That though the English are effete,
They’re quite impervious to heat.
When the white man rides
Every native hides
In glee.
Because the simple creatures hope he
Will impale his solar topee
On a tree.
It seems such a shame
When the English claim
The Earth,
That they give rise
To such hilarity
And mirth.
Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit
Can never understand it.
In Rangoon
The heat of noon
Is just what the natives shun,
They put their Scotch
Or Rye down
And lie down.
In a jungle town
Where the sun beats down
To the rage of man and beast,
The English garb
Of the English sahib
Merely gets a bit more creased.
In Bangkok
At twelve o’clock
They foam at the mouth and run,
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit
Deplores this foolish habit.
In Hong Kong
They strike a gong
And fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand
Each inmate
Who’s in late.
In the Mangrove swamps
Where the python romps
There is peace from twelve to two,
Even caribous
Lie around and snooze,
For there’s nothing else to do.
In Bengal,
To move at all
Is seldom if ever done.
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday sun!
I’m still rehydrating.
In the old days I used to do everything possible to get a burn on Memorial Day weekend to start the summer off right. Who knew?
Eerily I hardly ever burn, which is something supernatural in a redhead. But I don’t like being in the sun unless I’m doing something, so maybe it can’t catch up with me as fast.
I took a lunchtime walk with an office mate. She has the novel idea of taking her 15 minute power walk in the multi-story parking garage. It is a great idea. No blistering afternoon FL sun.
This eve, I spent about 20 minutes rough raking my lawn as the sun was setting and we had a nice breeze. No breeze, and this sort of day is awful.
As long as the garage is ventilated… gak
I cease to function at all over 75 degrees, so this type of voluntary immolation simply baffles me. *shudder*
You have to ramp up into it, which is another argument for outdoor exercise. I’m going to get you off that treadmill…
I used to watch tourists wandering about in a daze in August when it was about 45ºC … mad indeed. I should point out that I watched them from the balcony of my unairconditioned apartment.
This summer is going to be So. Much. Better.
And a terrace!
The master indeed …
Mad Englishmen (and women) still go out in the midday sun, even over here in Oz. They’re constantly being pulled, bright red and lobster-like, from the surf at Bondi by perplexed and irritated Surf Life Savers who cannot for the life of them understand why anyone would be running around out there without a hat, shirt or sunscreen… and drinking beer on top of all that.