How much physical activity do you manage?

For scientific thermometer readings, they have to be in the shade all the time. Temperatures given on weather sites and programmes will always be shade and protected from wind temperatures. Too many unknown variables otherwise. My outdoor thermom faces north-west so in high summer the late afternoon readings don't count.

Just mentioning this because of the fundamental importance, e.g. some of the thermometer readings used to calculate average global temperature (a phenomenally difficult thing to do anyway) have been shown to be invalid because the thermometers are sited too near things which will make a difference to readings, such as buildings and roads (urban heat island effect) or places in airports that are too near to where there is sometimes hot aeroplane exhaust.

Just sayin'

B - so I checked with J. and he says I was slack with the info.
The kitchen door faces west, but it is inset by about 2ft. giving a little wall to the left which faces due north, and is never in direct sunlight.
Is it still sited in an iffy place - being so close to the house?

No, I think that should be fine, so long as where it is is always in shade and doesn't trap any reflected heat.

So 'phew!'-type hot then?

Thirty-one in deep shade here. It is very close and quite unpleasant now; don't think the storm is far away.

I love summer thunderstorms! Enjoy!

[zap emoticon!]

Yes, but the problem here is that it almost always takes out the electricity and you have to run round the property resetting the trip switches!

Humph! If all it takes is resetting the trip switches (we have them all in one place, by the way), you ain't got a problem! When we have electricity outages here they last for hours and occasionally for days!! We're hoping there will be fewer now as at least the local lines have been put underground. The last few very severe winter storms convinced the electricity board that it would be cost effective to try and prevent a few rather than forever patching up in the dark and cold and lashing rain and paying all the workers double for the inconvenient hours.

I retrained as a personal fitness trainer at the age of 60. I specialise in people over 50, although in reality most of the people I work with are over 60. I don't think you can over-estimate how important keeping active is. Exercise doesn't need to be going to the gym and pumpiing iron. I work with younger people who have done no exercise and older people who have always exercised. It becomes apparent immediately who has the better quality of life. I am going to keep active and try to encourage others to do so because I don't want anyone else to wipe my bottom as I get older, thank you very much. Falls and their complications are one of the major causes of death in the over 75s. Strength, flexibility and balance exercises can help prevent these. You also need activity which makes your heart beat slightly faster and makes you a bit breathless. The minimum recommendation is 30 minutes per day, but you can break this into 3 x 10 minute sessions, if 30 minutes all at once seems too much.

Maalie - well done for taking up a new career when most people are thinking of retirement.
It is probably more comfortable for your older clients to work with someone nearer their own age than some superfit 20-year old!

Maalie mentioned balance, so I will make a confession. There is a 'fitness trail' in the woods near here, and I couldn't resist walking along the tree trunk which had been provided for balancing. A strip about 4" wide had been flattened on the top and it was about 2' off the floor. I did look round before I started, as I thought people find it odd to see a white-haired old lady doing a balancing act. I didn't bother tippling over the bars or swinging from the rings.

Way to go Greatnan!

The trouble is, when, that my daughter is convinced that this is exactly the way I will go, if she can't keep an eye on me!

Maalie - I echo greatnan for taking up a new career.
Thought your post simple and clear.

Yes, good going greatnan - I hadn't really realised how balance goes off a bit when older - now I do!

A good balancing exercise is to brush one's teeth whilst standing on one leg - well - it works for me.

I must admit that I often feel a bit unbalanced.
Sometimes when I'm walking along I find I'm not going in a straight line! (I don't drink).
I do exercise though and walk as much as I can

Ella46 I wobble about all over the pavement! I worry that people will think I drink. (I don't! (well, not that much!))

I get a bit nervous on narrow pavements. When the cars are whizzing by rather close!

When you are walking along a stony path, about a foot wide, with a 100' unfenced drop at the side, you do tend to concentrate on your balance (and always lean in towards the hill on the other side!)

I do think the wii is excellent for balance training. I find the yoga and muscle activities are great as a daily routine in winter. In case anyone thinks I have got shares in wii, there are things that I don't think it does particularly well!

The Wii just looks like good fun -I think I will get one.

The step prog in wii is quite good for getting you started on exercising. Better than jogging on the spot. I agree about the balance prigs.

Just read this thread again and I would like to say that I am not unbalanced, just having trouble balancing!

Balance prigs?

What on earth do you mean, Anagram?