It ain't pretty - revamped...

On this post, I was using temporary material to help give us more shade on the patio.

We are now using an old duvet cover, cut open to give us plenty of shade:

This is just one half of it. Although heat may build up eventually under it, the patio is fully in the shade. This will help at least, as the heat from the slabs should not rise up so much and make things unbearable.

It also gives Ruby more shade. Mind you, she spends so much time dashing after butterfly shadows on the gravel, we usually have to bring her in to get her to cool down.

The downside is that on windy but sunny days, neither can be used:(