{"id":1233,"date":"2020-09-07T09:58:46","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T08:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/?p=1233"},"modified":"2020-09-07T09:58:46","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T08:58:46","slug":"summer-in-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/?p=1233&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Summer in the city"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/em>Richard Peters<\/em><\/p>\n

Phew! What a scorcher this summer has been! After a few delightful weeks of warm spring weather, then a few cooler weeks of \u201coh no, is this how it\u2019s going to stay?\u201d, things got really sweaty here in Munich for a while.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how many times over the past two months I\u2019ve sat at my computer and tried to start writing this blog piece. Each time, the heat just sucked the creativity out of me: I would find myself staring at a blank sheet of virtual paper in Microsoft Word for a while until giving up.<\/p>\n

Now, at last, a day or two of cooler weather is upon us; as I write these words, I can sense a soothing susurration salve my sizzling soul as the city traffic slips past my window, wheels softly skimming the asphalt of a street still wet from recent rain. I can write again!<\/p>\n

So how did I cope with the heat? Physically, with open windows, vigorous fanning, and a repression of my urge to head out into the sun and revel in the thrill of its touch on my skin. Emotionally, by not \u2013 I repeat, NOT! \u2013 imagining lying on a secluded beach somewhere in the South Seas, in the merciful shade of a graciously stooping palm, refreshing cocktail in hand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My flat has no air conditioning; historically, central Europe hasn\u2019t had a climate that would necessitate it. In an ordinary summer, people would flock to scenic spots to enjoy the sunny weather, then gather in large crowds on restaurant terraces or in beer gardens to make the most of the balmy evenings. But this is no ordinary summer: we must maintain our distance from one another to help stop the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n

In Munich, I can jump on my bike and ride all the way up or down the river Isar to find a secluded patch of riverbank and dangle my feet in the cool water. Many other cities aren\u2019t blessed with the same geography, and their inhabitants must either swelter at home or risk exposing themselves to the virus if they visit the same jam-packed beach or park or piazza as everyone else.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

People living in the countryside are largely spared these worries, of course, but I\u2019ve always been an urbanite. Luckily, lockdown restrictions here in Germany have been much less onerous to date than elsewhere; for example, we have yet to be confined to our homes or obliged to wear face masks in open spaces.<\/p>\n

As the summer draws to a close, here\u2019s hoping a glorious autumn awaits: with golden hues, pleasant temperatures, a rising tide of health and happiness all around \u2013 and, best of all, the urge \u2013 and ability \u2013 to be creative once again!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the heat of the summer, mental capacities can reach a low ebb. A slightly delayed account of the last few months and their effect on creativity, and how to make it through to a more productive season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[488,13,489,190],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1234,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1233\/revisions\/1234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.kleinwolfpeters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}