It’s becoming increasingly clear that if I want to get anything done over the next nine weeks, I’m going to have to embrace a summer siesta.

The week of Christmas was quite mild; cloudy days, plenty of cool air, easy sleeping conditions. However, as we welcomed the New Year we also experienced the first days of our true blue summer – cloudless skies, heat and humidity are now the norm. Apparently a pregnant woman feels five degrees hotter than everyone else; proof that I really do deserve the majority of the ice cubes (and have every right to monitor how many everyone else eats).

Sarcasm aside, I’ve decided that there are certain times of the day where productivity is at its highest. And so, to gain some sort of momentum, I’ve devised a plan for the next few months to ensure that chores get done and deadlines are met. This “plan” has a lot to do with the fact that Christmas and NY are over and I have a nest to prepare for baby.

This new summer rhythm means rising early, putting on a load of washing and then sitting down to work for a few hours. Come 10am it’s time for a swim before returning home to eat and rest for the hottest part of the day (the European siesta really is a novel idea). The afternoon and evening is a little more spontaneous; dependant on my mood and the heat, it usually involves a bit more work, dinner prep and a few cold showers.

Despite the relenting heat, there is much to love about being pregnant at this time of year. When it’s particularly hot I do nothing…it’s the only way to stay cool. And regardless of how uncomfortable I am, there is always the ocean that provides profound relief – cool, salt water and buoyancy. What more could I ask for?