Wednesday 20 July 2022

The hottest day of the year was yesterday at 31d! Last night I had the fan running in the bedroom, It was 25d during the night. I sometimes don't understand why people are complaining as it is summer, I have thrown the duvet back and i'm hoping to wash two of my blankets.

The heatwave was mentioned on the news, trains have been ordered to travel at only 20mph in case the rails buckle under the heat.  There was a cobra meeting held because of the heat, they didn't hold one when the Beast from the East was on the way when people's boilers were breaking down all over the UK.

A Housing estate in Wennington (East London) caught fire in the heatwave on a Tuesday afternoon, some of the houses are now just charred remains.  The 300 residents living there had to spend the night at a leisure centre, up to 20 families were affected and most lost everything they owned.  Nothing like this hasn't been seen since the Blitz. It started via a burning compost heap.  

I went to Tesco and all the blinds on the freezers were down as they had over heated and broke down, went to Sainsburys and their freezer blinds were also down but at least the freezers were still working.

Apparently there are lots of bush fires in France, one train in France was stopped as there were flames on the bush either side of the train!  That must have been frightening, luckily everyone was ok.  Some villages and towns had to be evacuated as the bush fires were getting closer, planes were dropping water over the flames like they do in Australia.  

I got jelouse seeing the lido they have in Oxford, why can't we have something like that in Salisbury?  I wanted to go to Bournemouth on the Monday, but was advised against it as I was told it would be too crowded and full of Covid; so I went up to my mum instead. They won't have fans as mum says it makes her feel hotter, had soup followed by cheesecake on Sunday.  The papers are going over the top with all the scare mongering about the heatwave, 'boiling Britain' screamed the headlines stating that we are hotter then the Sahara desert.  If this is true, then this is a wake up call about climate change which stupid politicians are ignoring!

I went to see a physio at the Wessex rehab yesterday, stupidly got off at the wrong stop so I had to go over the link bridge back towards the older part.  Salisbury hospital has the best burns unit in the whole of the UK, it was once owned by the Americans and started off in 1944 as an isolation hospital; probably why it's on a hill that knackers me out.  Like a sauna on the bus, because the stupid air conditioning had broken down!

I went to a photography thing at Art Care, sat outside while others turned up, I used to scan photos which is something I really want to get back into again.  we went round to the John Macneill centre which is now being used for storage, it would make a great community place or hospice.  The views over the fields are stunning, early in the morning Fallow deer will come along to graze.

We walked along the field by the helicopter port, dust kept getting in my feet but that was the least of my worries.  we walked (or should I say struggled) along a track which is so overgrown with nasties like nettles and brambles.  I should have known something was up when we crawled through the gate, I hope i don't pay for it in pain later!  I got stung by nettles and the brambles caught my finger; never again.

I went to the museum yesterday, it was swektering in the flat, they didn't have any fans and just realied on the windows being open!  They should have had something in place, I like hot weather but this was just unbearable.  It was nice in the image room, but one of the negetives I scanned was a bit offensive.  It was called 'Spastics Christmas party 1968' being disabled myself I put a note saying offensive title, I hope Alan Clark doesn't keep the title as it would cause WW3.

Apparently I heard one roll of thunder, it rained a bit as I left.  The sky was a dark shade of grey from where we had pure blue skie's.  SP2 Cafe was closed Monday and Tuesday because of the heat, an air conditioned building and they shut.

I went to the WI meet last night in Harnham where we had a talk by a lady who was a Blue badge guide, someone was playing the Pink Panther on a saxophone which was annoying!  Got some Poldark books for mum and one called the Real Larkrise to Candleford, will get this on kindle as the print in the book is too small.  

On Thursday we met by the ambulance station, Katherine very kindly gave me a lift.  Went to Britford farm shop afterwards, I highly recommend this place as their tea is gorgeous.  Bit worried about the horses in the fields as they don't have shelter from the sun, should I say something?