The weather forecaster on telly, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and stupid grin, could barely contain his excitement. ‘You’ll be pleased to hear this lovely sunshine will be continuing right into next week, folks, so get those barbecues fired up!’
I chucked another toffee wrapper at the screen and shifted the bag of frozen peas perched precariously on my head.
Then the forecaster turned on his sad face and sighed, ‘but it’s not all fun in the sun (dramatic pause), children, elderly people and those with chronic illnesses, take extra care!’ It feels strange to be in that category now, a bit like when you move up a section on the ‘tick your age bracket’ question on forms.
The country’s gone mad. I pass the time of day peering through my window, counting all the men who really should know better than to parade their naked, tattooed bellies to an unsuspecting public. Newspapers eagerly tell us we’re hotter than Spain, France, Morocco. Shops have been stripped bare of ice lollies, burger buns and cider. £5 paddling pools are changing hands for £50 on Ebay.
Which is all well and good, but we just don’t do hot weather in this country. Same as we don’t do snow. Our European cousins would frown upon our fondness for frolicking around in garish ‘summer clothes’, gnarled feet shoved into plastic flip-flops, downing lager like there’s no tomorrow. They’re the ones who coolly sip an espresso in a shady cafe, clad in perfectly coordinated outfits, chic neck-scarf tied in the way only Europeans can manage.
Frankly, us Brits embarrass ourselves. So, I am going to turn MS heat intolerance to my advantage. I will cultivate a Euro-chic demeanor. I will re-name my afternoon MS fatigue sleep a siesta. I will stay out of the midday sun and embrace my Celtic paleness. If I venture out at night for a drink , I will walk primly past the sunburned sun-worshipers. I won’t be hosting a barbecue, but will instead sit in an dark, arty bar talking about arty things and existentialism.
So all you MS peeps with heat intolerance, join me in my one-woman mission. If I can just get that knot right on my neck-scarf, I’ll be right with you.
This fellow MS. ‘er is with you in spirit!! Let us forgo the daytime Barbeques and cultivate a ‘vampire like’ existence where we advocate shunning sunlight and keep the moonlit hours sacrosanct……maybe best draw the line at drinking blood though – lol
Definitely! You may be interested in one of my posts about this – http://stumblinginflats.com/the-venerable-order-of-the-uhthoff-vampires/ Join me in my quest!
x
Spooky – never spotted that post…….we must be Vampire-orientated!! Or is it another M.S. thing ???
You’re right! MS turns you into a vampire! Why weren’t we warned??
X
*hugs fan* 31c is not normal for this country lol ok fine if i was back in canada, you get higher temps then that, but not here. so not use to this weather anymore
good thing the back room stay cool or i would be dead :p
and i have seen a lot of very red people, idiots
Yup, we’re just not equipped to cope with it here so we all go stooopid.
I am going out for dinner later – will be counting the red-faced people (I’m mean).
X
Sorry for the shirtless spectacles (??that sounds weird) you’ve been subjected to. Is there any way to take a discreet photo? Then we could all commiserate/have a bit of a laugh. (Boy, you say YOU’RE mean!) (But, really, if you’re going to trot around w/o a shirt in public, then you might as well expect some lady w/ peas on her head to skulk behind a curtain and take pictures.)
Try to stay cool, SIF!
Now that is an excellent idea!! I could name and shame them. Maybe put up an internet page – Have You Seen My T-Shirt? That’ll teach ’em!
X
Hi , the heat is great it’s the humidity is killing me. Talking about scarfs ,I bought a kool scarf. Not sure it looks good with a summer dress but it helps .. At least I will be able to wear it in the neck of my uniform. It’s been so hot at work despite a fan and windows open wide ,exacerbating the fatigue big time. Felt like someone had taken the bones out of my legs. …. Keep cool all xxxxx
Hi Eileen,
A fellow MSer I was talking to the other day said exactly the same thing about humidity. Bring on the thunderstorms!
Kool scarf sounds fab, like those kool vests? I’m still at the bag of frozen peas stage, meh.
X