If I had a British pound for every time someone complained about the heat this week I would have, well, quite a few pounds. I am based in the south of England where we are having a record breaking heatwave which despite having been forecast for quite a while still seems to have taken many by surprise.
Despite the fact many of us spend quite a bit of money booking holidays to places with these kind of temperatures and more, people seem clueless about how to cope with the heat when it hits home.
To be fair, we aren't really geared up as a generally chilly and wet nation for 30 degree plus heat - rails buckle, roads melt and buildings become boxes of hell-degree heat but there are things we can do to cope.
My friend who works in a school said they have been using wet tea-towels to cool hot children (and teachers) and that is one simple way to keep body temperature down - I favour a bath towel, wetted and rung out spread over my body as I go to bed. If you have a fan, the cooling effect is even greater. I also love my neck fan bought for me by my husband who was sick of me moaning about airplanes being too hot. It came in very handy when helping my son move out of his uni accommodation this week especially since the lift was out of action and he lived on the fourth floor!
Yesterday I was bemoaning the fact that since my children grew up I no longer have a paddling pool I can stand in to cool off. My lovely neighbour immediately offered me her spare one, and it has been a game changer. No matter what your age - get a paddling pool. If you can find one that is! Like fans and air con units they sell out quickly during a heatwave.
On Facebook (other social media platforms are available) the desperate search for air conditioning units is becoming frantic. Of course, on social media the comments are everything and I am loving all the people pointing out how you could easily get AC units and at a cheaper price when the weather was cold. True but not helpful.
I have friends and family in Cyprus where ceiling fans are commonplace and have sacrificed style in my bedroom and living room for smug coolness whenever the weather warms up. Remote control, Alexa control and/or timers are a must on ceiling fans so you don't have to get out of bed to turn them off or on. And the bigger the better although those budget friendly little ones which literally screw into a lightbulb socket aren't bad and certainly better than nothing.
I'm loving people watching too - this weather brings out everyone's holiday wear which normally gets used for one to two weeks a year making the normally quite drab population bloom like exotic flowers.
I adore al fresco dining and have been relishing the chance to eat every meal outside. Thankfully (and I'm going to regret saying this out loud) we don't have the usual plague of wasps yet guaranteed to ruin any outdoor activity in England in the summer months.
I'll confess I planned a BBQ today but after yesterday's heat I decided against standing next to the burny hot thing in favour of a picnic style supper. Readers I cannot emphasise enough how hot it's got to be for me not to break out my beloved Blackstone griddle (gifted) for some show-off cookery.
As a final note it astounds me how many people do not realise the importance of hats and SPF. Many Brits only wear these on holiday abroad and so we see a variety of burns out and about. I wear SPF all year round - even my moisturiser has SPF but at the slightest hint of sun I add "proper" sun cream. I love the Hawaiian Tropic range, especially the product especially formulated for the face which is as light as a good moisturiser. Not paid to tell you this, just sharing my own opinion.
Meanwhile overseas my friends and family carry on in temperatures equal to and beyond our current heatwave with some simple rules we'd do well to follow:
- Stay out of the sun whenever possible during the hottest hours - about 12-4pm.
- Save physical activity like DIY or gardening for early or later in the day.
- If you must go out, wear a hat, loose clothes made from natural fibres and sun cream.
- Keep hydrated - and not just with beer and cocktails.