Canicule, the French word for "heat wave", comes from a Latin word for small dog, something that also denotes Sirius. This is somewhat strange, as we usually associate Sirius with winter. In Northern Europe it can be seen only during the winter months. However, it is there even when it cannot be seen. It is in August that the little dog accompanies the sun and rises and sets at the same time as the warmest celestial body in our immediate neighbourhood.
For those Icelanders out there, I can inform you that a heat wave is far from pleasant. But the inconveniences are sometimes unexpected ones. One of them is that you have to have air conditioning or at least a fan 24 hours a day, and the noise can drive you crazy. Try to listen to the soft sound of a string quartet during a heat wave, and you see what I mean.
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