Oh Lordly, had forgotten about the Picnic Races; a big deal in rural and regional Oz, especially in the school holidays for kids home from boarding school.
Also from Oz, I remember going to country picnic horse races, in May, that is Autumn here, in the early 60s, and all adults wore hats. Private school children wore hats to and from school, I had a rather Salad Days straw boater. My school dropped these in 1971, just as the hole in the ozone layer started to emerge. In recent decades there has been a concerted campaign about sun protection, and I keep a soft hat in my bag to put on outside.
I was surprised while in Europe in May and June that there were so many people outdoors without hats on.
Like many Australians I get checked annually for skin cancers and have had a number of BCCs excised, and I am not really an outdoors person.
I was under the impression that the ozone layer is thinner in Australia and NZ due to the tilt of the Earth, and that UV rays are generally less strong in Europe. Certainly, on the NHS annual checks for skin cancer are not a thing - although dermatology is also one of the most underfunded NHS departments. I think it would be a good thing for at least people in high-risk categories for skin cancer to get an annual skin check on the NHS. In some parts of Europe wearing a hat is seen as something for tourists and children, unfortunately.
@Heavenlyannie hope the heat in your neck of the woods is not too unbearable on Thursday, although I know you've said you're travelling. Hopefully to somewhere cooler!
Very relieved to "only" be getting up to ~33c around here on Thursday.
I remember the last hatter's shop in Edinburgh - in St Andrew's Sq AIR. A 100 years ago it would have seemed inconceivable that the fashion could disappear. Mr F has a family photo from the 1920s of grandparents with his father and aunt as children: they are all wearing hats - in the case of his father, a school cap.
I had a church/Sunday School-going hat (early 60s), but apart from weddings, no regular hats since. Trouble is, the one style I suit is a kind of large, wide-brimmed, high-crowned, Edwardian one. What I think of as Duchess hats.
@Heavenlyannie hope the heat in your neck of the woods is not too unbearable on Thursday, although I know you've said you're travelling. Hopefully to somewhere cooler!
Very relieved to "only" be getting up to ~33c around here on Thursday.
Actually hotter as I am in Japan and it has been in the 30s for the last 2 weeks. We get back on Thursday in time for the UK heatwave.
Up very early for the arrival of Mr Sainz Breeze and to get some domestics done before the heat hit us in force. Slow cooker containing Hearty Soup went on early. We have a friend here today from Fellowship To Which We Used To Belong and he and Mr Nen have gone out for a walk before lunch. A song about mad dogs and Englishmen is my current ear worm.
From my understanding, @Heavenlyannie , you'll hit the current UK heatwave on its hottest day but we will then be cooling down a bit.
@Nenya Wherefore art thou making Hearty Soup? Batch cooking for November?
For lunch. It will be the sum total of my cooking today. Easy to dish up and the slow cooker doesn't heat up the kitchen much. We have more people coming to lunch tomorrow (predicted to be even hotter than today) and that's going to be the salad day. There's only so much salad I can take.
Not being particularly fond of salad, I tend to go for just Watercress, but chopped and salted white Cabbage sounds good...
81F again in Arkland the Seared, but it feels relatively bearable IYSWIM. Up to the low 90sF tomorrow, so Neighbour S and I are flying in the face of all advice to Vulnerable Old People by going Shopp Ing.
However, needs must (I've nearly run out of Bread), and it's only two miles in the car (with all windows open) to Tess Coe Town, where the store is beautifully air-conditioned...we'll probably take our time about our purchases...
Meanwhile, Lunch is LAMB CHOPS n'CHIPS, with Watercress on the side.
Forecast is for a clear evening, so the Eclipse should be visible from here, and I think there's a shower of Perseids to look at afterwards!
I cheated and picked up a meal deal from Waitrose while out and about this morning as I couldn't face the thought of even making a sandwich. It was hot then, and hotter now.
Husband has headed off to visit a friend to the north but hopes to be back in time for the eclipse. If he gets back with time to spare the idea is to meet with some of his photographic buddies in the village to the west of here. I'm not sure if the spot they have chosen will be ideal as I think trees may be in the way but I assume someone has checked that first. My part in the plan is to cook a pizza from the freezer that we can take along to keep us going.
I'm not all that keen on salad leaves, but I have a number of salad recipes that can be sat upon a bed of salad greens with a dressing of some sort, which helps them down.
Mr RoS was brought up on salads, and does like lettuce etc, so there has to be some in any salad for him.
I am sticking mostly with panzanella through this hot weather - I have tomatoes of various types in the garden, and a couple of outdoor cucumbers that have fruited surprisingly well, so they are the base. Added to which are whatever other salady type veg I have in the fridge.
I vary the kind of bread I use in it, the protein element and the dressing, so it doesn't feel like the same meal over & over again.
@Bishops Finger you need windows open and aircon on. No point having 34°C air rushing into the car through open windows.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
@Bishops Finger you need windows open and aircon on. No point having 34°C air rushing into the car through open windows.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
Yep.
I have taped white sheets outside on our south facing sun room windows, which brings the temperature down by about four degrees.
We only have one lounge and the sunroom is at one end of it. Where I'm sitting now it's 28° but in the sunroom side it's hotter!
@Bishops Finger you need windows open and aircon on. No point having 34°C air rushing into the car through open windows.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
@sionisais rocket is much nicer when cooked - it's basically a type of leaf mustard so is good in Indian saag dishes alongside spinach, kale etc (saag = mixed greens especially mustard greens, palak = spinach specifically). I use the mixed bags of spinach with rocket and watercress in soups, akin to watercress soup. I like a rocket salad with lots of balsamic dressing and parmesan though - it needs big flavours to stand up to it.
Soup is an excellent hot weather meal - hydrating, and filling but not too much.
@Heavenlyannie hope the heat in your neck of the woods is not too unbearable on Thursday, although I know you've said you're travelling. Hopefully to somewhere cooler!
Very relieved to "only" be getting up to ~33c around here on Thursday.
Actually hotter as I am in Japan and it has been in the 30s for the last 2 weeks. We get back on Thursday in time for the UK heatwave.
Hope Japan has been wonderful! I have always wanted to visit, especially Hokkaido.
@Bishops Finger you need windows open and aircon on. No point having 34°C air rushing into the car through open windows.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
Surely windows closed and aircon on?
I think that's what was meant, yes. Mind you, I'm not sure if the aircon in my aged Ford Fiesta actually works - the four-mile round trip to Tess Coe is my limit these days, and open windows suffice...
For the first time today I heard the word Summerween. Has anyone else heard of it?
Regarding salads, I have a few different ones that I make and enjoy, but I don't want them that often. A couple of times a week at most.
Today all went well, the Englishmen survived their walk in the midday sun, Prosecco was drunk (to celebrate welcoming our friend to the new house for the first time), the Hearty Soup was consumed and we were Underwhelmed by the eclipse.
Never heard of Summerween, and it sounds like something I wouldn't want to encourage!
Husband got back sooner than expected so we had pizza before we set off to meet his photographer friends. It was a very nice event as there were various people there I know and even though I wasn't taking photos it was very sociable. We then headed to the nearby pub to have drinks on the terrace which was nice. It is by the river and there were lots of children having fun in canoes and paddle boards to keep us entertained.
Our son sent us his eclipse pictures. He has a camera with a big lens and seems to have gathered quite a crowd in his local park while taking pictures.
Nervously awaiting my nephew's A-level results. He's a smart lad in some ways, but a little bit cocky and therefore didn't always apply himself. He's after some top grades, but we're not sure he's going to get them. Nobody in the family ever went through clearing, so we have no idea how to help him if he does end up on that path.
According to BBC R4 "Today", the universities will be almost falling over themselves to offer places. To use their phrase, "It's a buyers' market" for potential students.
Super proud Granny here, A*, A, B, so youngest grandson is in at Leeds, my own alma mater, though I think he would have been happy with his second choice of Sheffield ( ABB) as the course is not just Geography but Geog with Town Planning.
According to BBC R4 "Today", the universities will be almost falling over themselves to offer places. To use their phrase, "It's a buyers' market" for potential students.
In recent years some universities have recruited students from overseas and these are, with few exceptions, funded from overseas. This market has contracted and for some universities it has virtually collapsed, so they will want to recruit from somewhere else.
Well done to the @Puzzler grandson, Leeds will be a good place to study. I hope @Sipech's nephew is also pleased.
We had tickets to go to small National Trust property to the north of here this morning, but they cancelled our booking yesterday. They've decided it's too hot to open. Instead we went into town where I bought some wool from a very odd shop with an even odder owner. At least it was cheap as I'm intending to make a cushion with a slightly experimental pattern.
I'm not going anywhere for the rest of the afternoon though I need to go into town for a council meeting early this evening.
We had tickets to go to small National Trust property to the north of here this morning, but they cancelled our booking yesterday. They've decided it's too hot to open.
Sensible, but annoying for folk who turn up "on spec" or who have made a long journey, possibly with a train or hotel booking, in order to visit.
@Bishops Finger you need windows open and aircon on. No point having 34°C air rushing into the car through open windows.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
Surely windows closed and aircon on?
Yes. That's what I meant and no idea how I said open
According to BBC R4 "Today", the universities will be almost falling over themselves to offer places. To use their phrase, "It's a buyers' market" for potential students.
I was surprised to read on BBC home that someone had got into Cambridge with B’s.
Two Mad Englishmen (Neighbour S and I) went out in the Midday Sun, but had a pleasant and productive time in the air-conditioned Tess Coe...
I now have enough supplies to last me through the rest of Heatwave The Fifth, which is currently treating Arkland the Overcooked to 90F. There seems little change forecast, except for slightly lower temperatures around 75F-80F from Monday on...
It was certainly Unpleasantly Warm in our bedroom, even when we were simply lying on the bed.
Our new solar panels are working well, the only energy we've used since Tuesday afternoon has been the gas stove. We are exporting "juice" to the grid but as yet have not received the necessary certification to get paid for it. (By the time we do, the weather will probably have become Dark and Gloomy!).
According to BBC R4 "Today", the universities will be almost falling over themselves to offer places. To use their phrase, "It's a buyers' market" for potential students.
I was surprised to read on BBC home that someone had got into Cambridge with B’s.
Well done indeed to @Puzzler 's grandson and hope there is good news for @Sipech 's nephew and any others awaiting results.
Domestic Goddess Nen was up betimes as for the second day in a row friends were coming for lunch. I did boiled potatoes, salmon, halloumi and two kinds of salad. One of the friends brought raspberries from her garden so we had them with some Greek yogurt for dessert.
I then had a very short, very hot walk with the other friend who is into geocaching and wanted to find a couple which are nearby. We were successful, but almost boiled in the process.
Casa Nen, as I've said before, is built to retain heat so we have been struggling in the recent weather conditions. We have a very large window on our landing and currently no way of covering it, so our current strategy once we close the windows for the day is to close all the internal doors. This means it gets very hot indeed in the hall and on the landing but the other rooms remain a couple of degrees cooler.
Among the other Produce that Raspberry-Bearing Friend brought were some cucamelons, which I've never come across before. Fortunately I left trying one until after they had gone as after one bite I spat it out. They'll be going into the compost bin .
The Atlantic coast is hot but not unbearably so. We have had a most enjoyable day at Belle Ile en Mer. We got there on a sailboat/catamaran, which was very fun. We came back on the ferry, which was less fun. If we ever go again, we'll get the catamaran both ways.
Cb and I ventured into London yesterday. We had chai tea sitting outside a coffee shop like continentals. We visited Somerset House for the Escher exhibition which is educational and much fun as well. There are several interactive optical illusions to experience and take selfies.
We did get very warm walking around but found a little oasis of a cafe by Guy’s hospital.
I’m glad we didn’t go today as it’s so much hotter than yesterday.
Many thanks on my grandson’s behalf. He is out celebrating in the city this evening, of course.
I have not been able to enjoy Lincoln as it is just too hot. Yesterday in our free afternoon I went to sleep, but as a consequence I did not sleep much at night. Today I moved from one shady, slightly breezy but still hot place outside into the main refectory/ thoroughfare which was pleasantly cool. It has been hard to concentrate in the singing sessions through lack of fresh air. Apart from meal time conversations I have not really found anyone to ‘ hang out’ with. Tomorrow the temperature is predicted to fall to 30 degrees, then 24 on Saturday.
The Atlantic coast is hot but not unbearably so. We have had a most enjoyable day at Belle Ile en Mer. We got there on a sailboat/catamaran, which was very fun. We came back on the ferry, which was less fun. If we ever go again, we'll get the catamaran both ways.
My sister is at present on the Atlantic coast, at a grand gathering of my brother-in-law's (Slovenian) family.
Still very hot here this evening. I trotted off to a council meeting that wasn't quorate as only two of us turned up. We had a good chat with the town clerk though so it was still fairly useful.
Seeing as it finished early I called in at Waitrose to get stuff for tomorrow's lunch and dinner to save me having to bother tomorrow. I must go at that time of night more often as there was lots of stuff on offer.
I came home to a husband keen to drink negronis in the garden and I was happy to oblige.
I'm now heading in the general direction of bed.
Congratulations to @Puzzler 's grandson. Hope @Sipech 's nephew has good news. @Priscilla Cambridge (and Oxford) makes contextual offers like all universities nowadays (except for specialist conservatoires which are audition-based anyway) as part of expanding participation. Both Oxford and Cambridge also have foundation years now. But also it depends on the subject - even Cambridge has some subjects that are less competitive than others, primarily arts and humanities.
91F again today in Arkland the Infernal, but a chilly 78F tomorrow...
I'm glad we're nowhere near any wildfires - those pics from Stourbridge are really scary...
Ironically, I've had a phone call today from the firm favoured by our Arkland Coal Co-Operative, telling me about their current low prices. We do sometimes order Coal round about now, ready for the onset of Autumn and Winter, but it seems somehow inappropriate at the moment. In any case, I have a good stock of Coal left over from earlier in the year. Chimney Sweep Ing needs to be carried out in September or October (we may well still have heatwaves in September, They say).
Lunch is PORK PIE n'CHIPS. There is also a pack of non-alcoholic Heineken BEER with Lemon Juice added.
I grew up in the West Midlands (albeit not near Stourbridge) and it's so frightening that things can get severe enough weather-wise that we have severe wildfires in the West Midlands. As damaging as wildfires in the New Forest are (and of course with terrible ecological damage there given how many rare species are there) it's the Stourbridge ones that have really frightened me.
According to BBC R4 "Today", the universities will be almost falling over themselves to offer places. To use their phrase, "It's a buyers' market" for potential students.
I was surprised to read on BBC home that someone had got into Cambridge with B’s.
Back in my day (the '80s) it wasn't unusual for organ scholars, so I assume also athletes etc., to have offers of very low grades.
Comments
I was under the impression that the ozone layer is thinner in Australia and NZ due to the tilt of the Earth, and that UV rays are generally less strong in Europe. Certainly, on the NHS annual checks for skin cancer are not a thing - although dermatology is also one of the most underfunded NHS departments. I think it would be a good thing for at least people in high-risk categories for skin cancer to get an annual skin check on the NHS. In some parts of Europe wearing a hat is seen as something for tourists and children, unfortunately.
Very relieved to "only" be getting up to ~33c around here on Thursday.
I had a church/Sunday School-going hat (early 60s), but apart from weddings, no regular hats since. Trouble is, the one style I suit is a kind of large, wide-brimmed, high-crowned, Edwardian one. What I think of as Duchess hats.
From my understanding, @Heavenlyannie , you'll hit the current UK heatwave on its hottest day but we will then be cooling down a bit.
Hoping @Piglet 's journey is going smoothly.
Mrs Sioni is bravely baking a birthday cake for a grandson (we’re travelling up the valley tomorrow) and a quiche for this evening’s eclipse party.
81F again in Arkland the Seared, but it feels relatively bearable IYSWIM. Up to the low 90sF tomorrow, so Neighbour S and I are flying in the face of all advice to Vulnerable Old People by going Shopp Ing.
However, needs must (I've nearly run out of Bread), and it's only two miles in the car (with all windows open) to Tess Coe Town, where the store is beautifully air-conditioned...we'll probably take our time
Meanwhile, Lunch is LAMB CHOPS n'CHIPS, with Watercress on the side.
Forecast is for a clear evening, so the Eclipse should be visible from here, and I think there's a shower of Perseids to look at afterwards!
Husband has headed off to visit a friend to the north but hopes to be back in time for the eclipse. If he gets back with time to spare the idea is to meet with some of his photographic buddies in the village to the west of here. I'm not sure if the spot they have chosen will be ideal as I think trees may be in the way but I assume someone has checked that first. My part in the plan is to cook a pizza from the freezer that we can take along to keep us going.
Mr RoS was brought up on salads, and does like lettuce etc, so there has to be some in any salad for him.
I am sticking mostly with panzanella through this hot weather - I have tomatoes of various types in the garden, and a couple of outdoor cucumbers that have fruited surprisingly well, so they are the base. Added to which are whatever other salady type veg I have in the fridge.
I vary the kind of bread I use in it, the protein element and the dressing, so it doesn't feel like the same meal over & over again.
Brits always want to open windows when it's hot. In a normal British Summer (22-23°) this provides a pleasant breeze. In these insane conditions it just heats the house/car up.
Yep.
I have taped white sheets outside on our south facing sun room windows, which brings the temperature down by about four degrees.
We only have one lounge and the sunroom is at one end of it. Where I'm sitting now it's 28° but in the sunroom side it's hotter!
Surely windows closed and aircon on?
Soup is an excellent hot weather meal - hydrating, and filling but not too much.
Hope Japan has been wonderful! I have always wanted to visit, especially Hokkaido.
I think that's what was meant, yes. Mind you, I'm not sure if the aircon in my aged Ford Fiesta actually works - the four-mile round trip to Tess Coe is my limit these days, and open windows suffice...
Regarding salads, I have a few different ones that I make and enjoy, but I don't want them that often. A couple of times a week at most.
Today all went well, the Englishmen survived their walk in the midday sun, Prosecco was drunk (to celebrate welcoming our friend to the new house for the first time), the Hearty Soup was consumed and we were Underwhelmed by the eclipse.
Now planning to crawl into bed with my book.
Husband got back sooner than expected so we had pizza before we set off to meet his photographer friends. It was a very nice event as there were various people there I know and even though I wasn't taking photos it was very sociable. We then headed to the nearby pub to have drinks on the terrace which was nice. It is by the river and there were lots of children having fun in canoes and paddle boards to keep us entertained.
Our son sent us his eclipse pictures. He has a camera with a big lens and seems to have gathered quite a crowd in his local park while taking pictures.
In recent years some universities have recruited students from overseas and these are, with few exceptions, funded from overseas. This market has contracted and for some universities it has virtually collapsed, so they will want to recruit from somewhere else.
We had tickets to go to small National Trust property to the north of here this morning, but they cancelled our booking yesterday. They've decided it's too hot to open. Instead we went into town where I bought some wool from a very odd shop with an even odder owner. At least it was cheap as I'm intending to make a cushion with a slightly experimental pattern.
I'm not going anywhere for the rest of the afternoon though I need to go into town for a council meeting early this evening.
Yes. That's what I meant and no idea how I said open
Best wishes to all those getting their grades today, however they work out.
I now have enough supplies to last me through the rest of Heatwave The Fifth, which is currently treating Arkland the Overcooked to 90F. There seems little change forecast, except for slightly lower temperatures around 75F-80F from Monday on...
Our new solar panels are working well, the only energy we've used since Tuesday afternoon has been the gas stove. We are exporting "juice" to the grid but as yet have not received the necessary certification to get paid for it. (By the time we do, the weather will probably have become Dark and Gloomy!).
Maybe they're going to study apiculture.
Domestic Goddess Nen was up betimes as for the second day in a row friends were coming for lunch. I did boiled potatoes, salmon, halloumi and two kinds of salad. One of the friends brought raspberries from her garden so we had them with some Greek yogurt for dessert.
I then had a very short, very hot walk with the other friend who is into geocaching and wanted to find a couple which are nearby. We were successful, but almost boiled in the process.
Casa Nen, as I've said before, is built to retain heat so we have been struggling in the recent weather conditions. We have a very large window on our landing and currently no way of covering it, so our current strategy once we close the windows for the day is to close all the internal doors. This means it gets very hot indeed in the hall and on the landing but the other rooms remain a couple of degrees cooler.
Among the other Produce that Raspberry-Bearing Friend brought were some cucamelons, which I've never come across before. Fortunately I left trying one until after they had gone as after one bite I spat it out. They'll be going into the compost bin
We did get very warm walking around but found a little oasis of a cafe by Guy’s hospital.
I’m glad we didn’t go today as it’s so much hotter than yesterday.
I have not been able to enjoy Lincoln as it is just too hot. Yesterday in our free afternoon I went to sleep, but as a consequence I did not sleep much at night. Today I moved from one shady, slightly breezy but still hot place outside into the main refectory/ thoroughfare which was pleasantly cool. It has been hard to concentrate in the singing sessions through lack of fresh air. Apart from meal time conversations I have not really found anyone to ‘ hang out’ with. Tomorrow the temperature is predicted to fall to 30 degrees, then 24 on Saturday.
My sister is at present on the Atlantic coast, at a grand gathering of my brother-in-law's (Slovenian) family.
Seeing as it finished early I called in at Waitrose to get stuff for tomorrow's lunch and dinner to save me having to bother tomorrow. I must go at that time of night more often as there was lots of stuff on offer.
I came home to a husband keen to drink negronis in the garden and I was happy to oblige.
I'm now heading in the general direction of bed.
A man with style. I like a negroni. I sometimes drink one when others have Pimms.
I'm glad we're nowhere near any wildfires - those pics from Stourbridge are really scary...
Ironically, I've had a phone call today from the firm favoured by our Arkland Coal Co-Operative, telling me about their current low prices. We do sometimes order Coal round about now, ready for the onset of Autumn and Winter, but it seems somehow inappropriate at the moment. In any case, I have a good stock of Coal left over from earlier in the year. Chimney Sweep Ing needs to be carried out in September or October (we may well still have heatwaves in September, They say).
Lunch is PORK PIE n'CHIPS. There is also a pack of non-alcoholic Heineken BEER with Lemon Juice added.
Back in my day (the '80s) it wasn't unusual for organ scholars, so I assume also athletes etc., to have offers of very low grades.