Heatwave!

Living in England we are used to crap weather. Summers are invariably disappointing and winters seem to go on for ever. We have to make the most of good weather. There's a TV advert on here at the momement which epitomises the 'British summer'. It portrays everyone in the country waiting for the sun to appear from behind a huge cloud which indicates that summer has begun. People rush outside, slap on suntan lotion in a mad frenzy and generally go bonkers in an attempt to grab some precious rays. Then, just minutes later, the sun disappears and summer is over.

This year is a bit different. Last week we had the hottest July day in Britain since records began. Wisley in Surrey reached 36.5C (97.7F) which beat the record for the month from 1911. But it's not just the record-breaking I'm talking about, but the length of time we've been having this weather.

Pretty much the whole of July has been hot and sunny. My forehead is in danger of looking like a piece of bacon and the cat is heading for an all over shave if things stay as they are. We've had gritters spreading crushed rock to stop roads melting, schools closing because of the heat and restrictions on water usage around the country.

Now many countries around the world deal with these sort things every day but this is the UK and we're just not used to it. In the Spring, the first time the sun pops out and the temperature is above freezing, young men begin zooming around in their crappy Ford Escort convertibles with the roof down. If the temperature becomes warm enough for just a light coat, the barbeques start to appear and people bravely stand in cold, damp back gardens and pretend it's summer (see a previous post on this). So it's not surprising we're all going bonkers about the official (so says the Met Office) heatwave and loving hearing that it's hotter hear than everywhere else on the entire planet. Almost.

Put another Tesco Value burger on the barbie! Vegetarian options available