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

(601 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

Wobblybits Mon 16-Jan-17 15:41:07

Mrs.P being pregnant with our daughter, it was a nightmare (she didn't stop complaining)

rosesarered Mon 16-Jan-17 16:19:37

I was pregnant that year too and was thoroughly miserable.There were standpipes put in the street and we had to collect water from there.It was then we realised that we never ever wanted to live in a hot country.

Greenfinch Mon 16-Jan-17 16:34:41

DS2 was born in March.He wore nothing but nappies for months and when we had his christening in June,the jellies would not set in the fridge and the vicar cut the service short because of the heat.DS2's eczema was very bad that year because of the heat.Not a very enjoyable time.

Greenfinch Mon 16-Jan-17 16:35:48

Should be eczema

Greenfinch Mon 16-Jan-17 16:38:28

It was DS1 who had eczema

obag Mon 16-Jan-17 16:57:11

My mum decided to a shower fitted, so I was the envy of my school friends as I could have a nice cool shower when the heat got too much to bear.

Nandalot Mon 16-Jan-17 17:01:49

We had just moved into a new build and the bare earth of the garden was rock solid. Impossible to lay a lawn so we lived with dusty brown for quite a while.

Tinasparkle Mon 16-Jan-17 17:05:34

My daughter was born in July 76 and my OH's vivid memory is of me doing the ironing in bra and pants whilst 9 months pregnant!! We were very modest 40 years ago, and didn't show much flesh like they do now. Thank goodness it wasn't a steam iron.

aggie Mon 16-Jan-17 18:00:06

we were on holiday with four children , the 18 month was in a frog plaster for her dislocated hip . It was a job keeping her cool ! Then eldest son broke his brand new second teeth in the bumping cars - cost so much to get him sorted at the dentist we hsd to come home

Charleygirl Mon 16-Jan-17 18:18:01

I was working in the centre of London and had to travel to work by tube- the temperature was off the scale underground - it was bad enough if one could get a seat but ten times worse if standing. I felt and looked like a washed out rag when I arrived at work, fit for a shower, no such luck.

Elrel Mon 16-Jan-17 18:49:15

Pregnant, due date in July, remember it as a very long hot summer! Baby came very quickly early one morning, coastal touristy area, all (3) ambulances busy elsewhere. A very happy sunny morning, then we were taken to hospital for a check up. Birth certificate has BoA for Born on Arrival!

durhamjen Mon 16-Jan-17 18:49:17

We had just moved to a new house six months earlier.
The garden was all lawn when we moved in. During the drought, because the earth cracked so much, we discovered that the builders had used the garden for a broken brick dump; no topsoil. That was the one and only time we ever used the ten-year guarantee.
We got to know the neighbours a lot better because of the standpipe in the street.

jusnoneed Mon 16-Jan-17 18:58:15

oooh yes, I was pregnant with my eldest son. He was born in July. Where we lived in Glastonbury was at the top of a hill, so I remember having to walk up and down that in soaring temperatures. One shortcut had 104 wide steps to get up!
I had to spend some time in the hospital at the end of the pregnancy and can remember a long ward (as they were then) full of very pregnant ladies trying to keep cool, led to some funny ideas and a fair amount of laughter.

Alima Mon 16-Jan-17 19:02:29

It was the year we were married, the year of the never-ending summer. We were allocated our married quarter just days after the drought ended which saved the need for using bowsers for fresh water.

Maggymay Mon 16-Jan-17 19:04:22

We had a day out to the beach with DC we were only there a few minutes before we were invaded by swarms of ladybirds we bid a hasty retreat.Also remember DH coming home from work and joining DC in the paddling pool to cool down,electric fans were very expensive and few people could afford them.

annodomini Mon 16-Jan-17 19:09:16

A wonderful fortnight in tropical Cornwall with our two small boys - three and five. We all had a great time in and out of the sea or one of the pools created in the rocks above a surfing beach. Evenings outside a pub, quaffing beer or cider - pop for the boys - and enjoying genuine Cornish pasties as the sun set over the sea. Back home, a paddling pool on the lawn Both boys got mumps but not very ill at all. A quick weekend in Shropshire to the sound of fire engines and the sight and smell of burning fields and moorland.

Tizliz Mon 16-Jan-17 19:29:17

Trying to empty the bath via the hosepipe, not as easy as I thought it would be

cornergran Mon 16-Jan-17 19:40:59

Trying to manage a very grumpy and over heated toddler who insisted in removing all his clothes, wherever we were.

chelseababy Mon 16-Jan-17 20:21:21

I remember sunbathing lying on the lounger in the garden with my feet in a bowl of cold water!

creativeness Mon 16-Jan-17 21:43:22

I remember trying to entertain/amuse + keep cool as a young mum with two children under four they seemed reasonably happy playing in fairly small paddling pool + very few simple toys keeping them quite occupied + content!

GrannyA11i Mon 16-Jan-17 21:57:54

It was the year I went youth hosteling in the Lake District with my boyfriend (now DH) and my best friend and her boyfriend. We tramped up hill and down dale with 30lbs on our backs and big heavy leather Walking boots on our feet, stopping when possible at the lakes to cool off with a swim! I remember getting heat stroke after one long slog to the hostel, ordering a pint of orange juice in a cafe and being too far gone to drink it till prompted! It was all great!!

Rinouchka Mon 16-Jan-17 22:19:43

I was pregnant with our son, who was born in July, 1976. I am one of those women who enjoy being pregnant and despite the immense heat in London, I loved the hot weather and being able to dress in light clothing and swan around in our garden with our toddler daughter.
The day our son was born stands out particularly. It was a Sunday and he was two weeks overdue. My husband and daughter accompanied me to our local maternity hospital where I was due to be induced the following day. It was late afternoon. We had tea in the hospital gardens, baskng in sunshine. Once they had left,I walked about and went to chat to the medical students in the ward. I was having what I was sure were Braxton Hicks practice contractions but felt fine. Popping into the loo a few minutes later, I had a show and my waters broke....and then, my body went into full labour. Our son was born one hour later. My husband arrived back just as be was being born. Fortunately, the hospital managed to contact him as he arrived home and he could leave our daughter with my mother.

The sun, the heat,the beautiful day and friendly staff all contributed to the wonderful birth of a beautiful baby boy. That is my memory of the summer of '76.

mcem Mon 16-Jan-17 22:35:08

Camping in glorious weather, we took a trip to the Isle of Skye. We were both teachers, the summer holidays were in full swing and we sat in the sun wondering when we'd get some news about the baby we hoped to adopt in the not-too-distant future.
6 weeks later and back at school, the news of our daughter came.
She'd been born on the day we'd visited Skye.

merlotgran Mon 16-Jan-17 22:37:19

DH fell off my horse and broke his collarbone. A figure of eight bandage was not the most fetching of garments when everyone was stripping off due to the heat.

When it finally rained in September we gathered baskets and baskets of Fen mushrooms from the stubble field at the back of our garden. They appeared like magic and tasted divine.