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Win a Kindle Paperwhite worth over £100 plus a copy of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep **NOW CLOSED**

(602 Posts)
SorchaGransnet (GNHQ) Mon 16-Jan-17 15:23:26

To celebrate the publication of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, a charming coming-of-age debut novel by Joanna Cannon, we're giving you the chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite.

Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. The neighbours blame the disappearance on the heatwave, but ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren't so sure.

As the summer shimmers endlessly on, the girls decide to start their own investigation. And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives find more than they imagined.

Joanna Cannon graduated from Leicester Medical School and worked as a hospital doctor, before specialising in psychiatry. She lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog.

To be in with a chance of winning a Kindle Paperwhite worth over £100 & a copy of the book, tell us - do you remember the heatwave of '76? If so, what are your memories of it?

Post your entry below by midday Monday 13 February.

Usual T&Cs apply.

This discussion is sponsored by HarperCollins

hare Sat 04-Feb-17 12:20:36

Yes I remember it well, went on a walking holiday to Brecon Beacons in wales, we all needed a wee ,so headed to the ones marked on the map (just down the road a short distance) only to find they were all locked and out of order due to a lack of water. So it was into the forest for us!

ujhunt1961 Sat 04-Feb-17 11:53:10

My memories are going to the beach most nights after tea time with my mum and sisters. We had such fun playing until the sunset. It was also first time I tasted Mum's angel cake and I will never forget those wonderful days of fun and giggles.

Robby Sat 04-Feb-17 11:46:14

I had to celebrate my 21st in trunks !

constance Sat 04-Feb-17 11:29:26

1976: Riding up to Chobham Common on the back of my boyfriend's very noisy motorbike, thinking it was very windy, not noticing that he was trying to impress me by "doing a ton" (ie going at 100 miles an hour).

It was a great year to have a summer pass to the outdoor swimming pool.

jocarter Sat 04-Feb-17 09:59:30

I remember the drought and heatwave quite clearly. I was 10 and we spent endless hours playing outside and having fantastic fun. There was a standpipe in the next street we had to collect water from, the river and ford that we usually played in was as Dry as a bone. My dad invented the water hog a blue plastic toy for Anglian water and I remember giving loads and loads of them out to my friends.

helenlp Sat 04-Feb-17 09:48:00

The seaside town I lived in in Somerset was overrun with biting ladybirds. It was the only time in my life I didn't like ladybirds!

Eilona Sat 04-Feb-17 09:40:27

In 1976 virtually everyone used Terry Towelling nappies and I was no exception. I had two sons born in September and October previously and drying nappies at that time of year was a nightmare! Natalie was an April baby and this was 1976, one of the hottest years on record. She woke me for her feed around five and once she was sorted, I pegged a line of nappies outside and they were almost always dry by the time I took the boys to school for nine. This doesn't sound exciting to the younger generation who use disposables these days but believe me when I say that it was the best blessing a mother could have in those days!

karenharrison Sat 04-Feb-17 09:35:47

I wasin primary school - I remember stand pipes and tucking the bottom of my t-shirt through the neck to cool my tummy sown.

buster55 Sat 04-Feb-17 01:43:25

I decided to go down to Hyde Park as it was so hot. Made the VERY big mistake of falling asleep in a deckchair for three hours!.
I was seriously sunburned, and in absolute agony for three weeks
afterwards

mecazza Fri 03-Feb-17 22:11:51

I meant dashed!

mecazza Fri 03-Feb-17 22:11:03

We had a cabin cruise on the canal that year and the water was so low we couldn't go anywhere so spent our time in the pub as it was much cooler than the boat. I remember when it started raining for the first time for what seemed like months we all ashed outside and revelled in getting wet & cool. Happy days.

Kaiser999 Fri 03-Feb-17 20:46:46

I remember it well as it was the year I got married on Friday 13 August [chosen to annoy the relatives!]

babsann123 Fri 03-Feb-17 20:22:40

1976 I remember it well because I lost my lovely large faithful dog called 'Shane' to heat stroke.

liztay Fri 03-Feb-17 20:10:21

I was only 9 years old but I remember being on holiday at Butlins Filey. I loved this carefree time when children ran free and the sun seemed to shine every day so we were all bronzed and happy!!

Jalima Fri 03-Feb-17 19:31:55

kwal our neighbour came back from 2 rather expensive weeks in Majorca and it had been hotter in Plymouth.

youngagain Fri 03-Feb-17 19:26:44

I was a 'Lollipop Lady' for the school near my home and I ruined 3 pairs of sandals that summer because the tar on the road was melting!! I had to wear a white, full length overall and my hat. What nobody realised was that there was very little clothing underneath the white overall!

kwal Fri 03-Feb-17 16:51:34

Just arrived back in Plymouth after 2 years working in Africa and couldn't believe that it was hotter here than there.

pinhole Fri 03-Feb-17 16:45:43

Wonderful year

pinhole Fri 03-Feb-17 16:45:03

My youngest son was born in Germany as my husband was serving in the army, we returned to be posted to Plymouth, Where my husband was sent to Northern Ireland, we were left to fend for ourselves, luckily the weather being so wonderful helped me cope alone with 3 sons No car so lots of great walks and exploring Margaret holpin

cillastubbs Fri 03-Feb-17 16:31:34

I remember it well. It started at the beginning of May and went on until early September. We live near the coast and I would pick the children up after school and go to the beach almost every day. I worked out that it was better to keep the curtains permanently closed to try and keep the heat out. I can't remember doing much housework in the day, tried to do it in the evening, but every day there seemed to be sand everywhere. I used to hang the washing out overnight and it would be dry by the morning. I have to say as much as I loved it I wasn't sorry when the weather finally broke!

jacpri Fri 03-Feb-17 16:29:17

I was at home with 2 young children so I lived in a bikini for days.

jacpri Fri 03-Feb-17 16:28:50

I was at home with 2 young children so I lived in a bikini for days.

jacpri Fri 03-Feb-17 16:27:39

I was at home with 2 young children so I lived in a bikini for days.

fenmatthews Fri 03-Feb-17 16:18:03

open top sports car, boating on the river severn, not a care in the world. Fabulous

Wazza Fri 03-Feb-17 15:48:00

I will always remember the heatwave of 1976 as I was pregnant with my daughter who was born at the end of June that year. Normally, I love the hot weather but being pregnant made me unable to bear the heat. I was longing for cold weather!!