The latest ‘hot take’ from Britain? It’s collapsing! Both literally and figuratively…
The government is a shambles. The pound is really struggling (although that’s good news for those of us who are here!), inflation is the highest it’s been in 50 years, the NHS is no longer something to be proud of and the Royal Family (God Save the Queen), are turning into tabloid fodder. Chaos at the airports have caused flights to be cancelled; first it was staff shortages and now it’s runways melting to dash the dreams of holidays in the sun.
They say only the Brits understand irony, so surely they (we!) can see Mother Nature’s sarcasm in answering the prayers of the average Briton for a break in the sun by sending a little sunshine to the UK. Wait, did I say a little? Hardly. Tuesdat saw record-breaking temperatures of 40C (104 F for those of us who have been here too long), resulted in wildfires and all sorts of other catastrophic events. The previous record wasn’t just broken by a few tenths of a degree, it was smashed, in 22 different places across the country, no less.
The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.
To be honest it all just makes me even more homesick, wish I could be there to share the burden of these crazy times – it’s still ‘home’ even after living here for over 25 years.
To cheer me up I decided to ask our roving reporter (aka my niece Rose Norris) who lives in London, to give us a real insight to what’s really going on over there – and just as I suspected it’s all about the weather…
Will let Rose take it from here…
Anyone who moved to California for the weather, it’s time to come back to Blighty! Britain’s major heat wave have seen runways melting, buses catching fire and everyone is badly sunburnt. In all seriousness, the UK is not built for the heat and these 40C (104F) days have not been easy. It has felt like the country has quite literally been melting.
I texted a friend of mine a question and she replied ‘it’s actually too hot to think’ ‘I’ll [try] once the sun goes down’. An accurate representation of how bad it’s been over here.
Another friend was able to cook an egg outside in her garden! I know that might be something that could happen on a hot day in LA but here in West London it’s completely crazy. I read today that in the last six hours 9 out of 10 Brits would have spoken about the weather (on any given day), so imagine how much weather chat we have had over this heatwave. I know sometimes we can be dramatic and it may not even sound THAT hot but it’s been really unbearable.
As I’m sure some may remember, our heat is a different type of heat. I went for a swim at my local pool which is only a five minute cycle from my house and during that time I managed to get sunburnt. Most public spaces don’t have air con, our homes are literally built to keep the heat inside. Government advice has been to stay out of the sun and stay hydrated, it’s all felt quite serious. Which I think it should, it’s scary to think that this is slowly going to become the new normal across the world because of climate change. I do not know of any service or person who hasn’t been crippled by this.
There’s not been much else to do other than complain and sweat, I have spent my time inside in front of a fan eating ice lollies. Once the sun goes down it’s a sprint to the pub to rehydrate with a crisp cold pint. Most pub-goers suffering from sweaty foreheads and a bright red complexion, myself included. I think we are coming out of the extreme temperatures now but let’s see. You never know with Britain. I say at this point bring on the rain, I really do miss it.
