What has happened to us?

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.

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.

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!

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!!!

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.

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?

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

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!

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.

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.

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 ?

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 ???

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

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

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.

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.

Thanks ?janeainsworth
How do you cope ?

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