What has happened to us?

Bridgeit I have two suggestions:
1. Don’t turn the telly on in the mornings
2. Come and live in Northumberland where the sun makes only brief, fleeting appearances.

Have a nice day

Thanks ?janeainsworth
How do you cope ?

Elderly people often don’t have the feelings of thirst.

France is making preparations to avoid a repeat of summer 2003, when supermarket store rooms had to be used as emergency morgues to deal with the huge number of heat-related deaths.

Around 15,000 people died as a result of the weather that summer, many of whom were vulnerable elderly people.

The county was unprepared for the weather and in response to mortuaries rapidly filling up, replacements were set up in refrigeration lorries.

The high number of deaths resulted in mass funerals in Paris, with 57 people being buried on the same day at one cemetery.

As a result of summer 2003, an alert system was introduced in France which aims to warn people about expected highs and avoid more deaths.

There were also heat-related deaths in the UK (2,000), Portugal (2,100), Italy (3,100), Holland (1,500) and Germany (300) that year.

janeainsworth You have made me so jealous living there,we where just a couple of weeks off buying a house in Acomb just outside Hexham whenthe children where younger at a development called Bishops Cross ? how I wish we had never changed our minds.

To be fair, I think these temperatures are more extreme than we have been used to.

Thanks Urmstongran that explains somewhat,
But surely the average adult with no special requirements should be able to work it out ?

Seems for everything ,be it heat, cold etc there has to be someone issuing instructions of how we should act in circumstances as if no one has a brain of their own!
I think in these times when some people are more willing to blame someone else, rather than their own stupidity and ignorance, resorting to litigation to prove a point, that everyone is so busy being the one that says "I told you so" to cover themselves.
Today you know that there will be people outside, stripped off, getting burned to a frazzle, still running around like headless chooks just to prove that they can, so what can you do ???

glamma yes it’s lovely. Last year we spent 5 days cycling from Maryport in the Cumbrian Coast, along the Solway Firth to Bowness -on-Solway & then followed Hadrian’s Wall back home. I am a reluctant cyclist but had to admit it was lovely ?

Here in Malta extreme temperatures are not unusual, but the government always issues advice on how to cope. Not everyone has common sense it seems.

Well there we are !
I was in Paris in July/August 2003----Disneyland to be exact and the weather was beautiful, yes, it was hot, but I didn't see anyone keeling over or any bodies piled up anywhere.

Probably the worst area at the time was down in the bowels of the Gare du Nord metro while waiting for a train to take us to Disneyland----not the best experience at that time being the height of the season but we survived.

It was good to see Paris's efforts to help people to cool down a bit. Sensible govt decisions. I expect there'll be complaints about it but they're damned if they do it and damned if they don't. Those pools and fountains looked delicious!

I don’t see anything wrong with advice being given - quite the reverse in fact.

But surely if lots of advice is given on how to survive a heatwave, there will,be fewer deaths of septuagenarians plus - which must be bad news for the NHS. Has Boris or Jeremy a view on this?

IMO, the advice is for people who don't have "common sense" or who might forget. If one doesn't want to hear it, one can always change the channel.

I don't recall any advice being given re the heat when I was in Saudi - except general behavioural advice as I am a woman!!!

Bridgeit I understand your need to sound off and I could write pages about the nanny state and their encouragement for us not to think for ourselves. Yes, I do think we need the advice because so many people seem to be incapable of common sense, it is quite uncommon!

I listen to consumer programmes and the other day a mother was complaining that her student daughter had been allowed to take on a loan for an expensive car she couldn't afford. Apparently it was someone else's fault. I'll stop now before I become too boring!

Following a very warm night, I have been in the office for a few hours this morning (Saturday) and was very surprised to see so many members of staff had suddenly found they had urgent work to complete that necessitated their weekend attention.

However, I would not even begin to imagine or believe that their sudden unannounced arrival on a Saturday was in any way connected with the fact that we have a wonderfull air conditioning system in our main open office.

But no surely not, they are here out of their dedication to their work and sheer love of our company.

Well people don't listen anyway.. So many times when I was an A/E sister we had to dress so many bad burns from the sun.

When the DC were young, and we used to attend cricket matches, the most common sight, when the sun was out, was the English male, usually in his vest - sometimes without it - turning an unattractive shade of scarlet. I hope the message about covering up has got through in this century, though somehow I doubt it.

Last year we were required to attend DGD and DGS’s Sports Day, as their parents had gone off to a rock concert.
This was in the broiling heat of Staffordshire.
We had been instructed to take our own picnic chairs, rugs etc.
The school field had a clearly demarcated area of shade next to some trees, where all the families parked themselves.
As the morning word on, the sun came round and the area of shade inexorably got smaller, until we were all crammed into a very small crescent of shade.
Thankfully the proceedings were over by about 2 pm and we were able to go home

My sister maintained the day time tv was what was wrong with the country!

Agree with most posters.....people are just plain daft when it comes to sun! You see it abroad don't you? Brits coming from temps of say 15 degrees into temps exceeding 30 and immediately lying out for hours on end with a supply of beer!!!! (Then when they get ill, they blame the hotel!)

You would hope most people would get the message by now that too much sun can be dangerous ...but they don't. I think a lot of people don't understand the difference between sunburn and sunstroke t.b.h. They feel if they slap on factor 10 then they are doing their bit

I don't see anything wrong with reminding people t.b.h. then if they don't listen it is up to them. Pet owners should wisen up also as many don't realise animals can suffer sunstroke.

Seems like some of us will find just about anything to complain about, even the most ridiculous.

I heard that report too Nonnie and had my student son in the car with me. The woman was talking nonsense because if her daughter had, as she alleged, taken out a loan or finance agreement on a car there would have been (a) credit and affordability checks and (b) with all finance agreements there is a 14 day cooling off period so when her daughter came home, announced she had bought a brand new car, they, the responsible parents, should have told her to cancel it.