Feeling the heat

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and whilst I am generally a massive fan of warm, dry, and sunny weather, this summer’s heat wave has been a bit too much – even for me. The warm cloudless days have been characterised by a relentless heat that not only saps one’s energy, but also leave’s people lethargic and unwilling to perform even the most basic tasks outdoors. I am left as one Englishman who, unlike the mad dogs in Noel Coward’s famous song, steers clear of the midday sun, as much as possible.

The temperatures experienced these past couple of months, remind me very much of holidays in Bavaria, and days spent visiting the lovely shady and cool beer gardens, that the region is famous for. On a hot day, nothing quite beats sitting out in the delicious coolness of one of these gardens, and enjoying a Maβ or two of equally delicious, cooling and refreshing Helles Bier. Perhaps, if these conditions of extreme heat continue, we too might find ourselves mimicking the Bavarians and opening up beer gardens of our own.

I rather think not, as being situated on the western edge of a continent does mean experiencing a much more maritime climate, compared to a continental one, but even so it’s a little surprising that the normal westerly fronts that normally blow in off the Atlantic, have been kept at bay for quite as long as they have.

It’s one thing being on holiday, but something completely different for people that have to work in the heat. I am lucky in that respect, as my workplace is fully air-conditioned. This covers the whole factory, office and laboratory areas are air-conditioned, in-fact the same heat-exchange units keep us all warm during the winter months. Sometimes it can be too cold in the office, and whilst this can be a source of friction, especially amongst desk-bound colleagues, the use of air-conditioning is not taken to the extremes that seem to prevail in the United States.

Over-chilled, icy cold air being blasted at people is both unpleasant and uncomfortable, and yet seems the norm in many places. This was brought home to me when I attended the 2018 Beer Writers’ Conference in Loudon County, Virginia. The first speaker of the day made reference to the over-chilled temperatures of most US hotel conference venues. Very sensibly he was wearing a fleece, unlike me, dressed in my shorts and T-shirt. I soon got wise, and at the first break in the proceedings, returned to my room to don my fleece as well.

When I visited Japan, 10 years ago for work purposes, the temperatures in May were approaching the low 30’s, but it was the high humidity that made things really uncomfortable. Just two years after the Fukushima meltdown, caused by the disastrous tsunami of 2011, the country was in the grips of a power shortage, which meant the use of air-conditioning was restricted to certain times of the day. Now, we are witnessing many European countries bringing in similar controls over the use, and more particular the temperature settings of air-conditioning. This is being done to reduce their over-dependence on Russian gas, following crazed dictator, Vladimir Putin’s failing “Special Operation” in Ukraine.

Returning back home again, the high temperatures have been accompanied by an almost total lack of rain. This situation is particularly bad here in the south-east, where the July rainfall total was just 8% of what is normal for the month. This follows on from an exceptionally dry spring. This would, have to coincide with my decision to take up vegetable growing again. With more free time, following my switch to a three-day week, it seemed a good idea, but having been out with a watering can most evenings, I’m not quite so sure now.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse are cropping well, but my runner beans, growing up a Dick Strawbridge type construction, supported by the greenhouse, are in a sorry state. The plants themselves seem scorched by the heat, and with very few of the characteristic red flowers present, the crop is likely to be minuscule. The nation’s farmers have similar problems, but on a far larger scale, and with crops such as barley and hops that are close to the hearts of us beer lovers, likely to be severely diminished, we are definitely looking at higher prices next year for our favourite beverage, and possible shortages as well.

My lawn is more hay than grass, and whilst this doesn’t bother me on a domestic level, the surrounding countryside looks severely parched, and several orders of magnitude removed from the "green and pleasant land" that England is supposed to be.  I largely missed the previous great drought, that followed the famously hot summer of 1976, as I was living in Greater Manchester at the time, and whilst it was hot and sunny, the area didn’t completely fail with its reputation for "rain at times!"

On a more personal note, I have put off plans for completing the North Downs Way until things are a little cooler. Walking in 30 degrees of heat is not a good idea, and with much of the last section being open countryside, rather than the shady beech-woods that have been such a feature of the last few sections, I am now looking at September for completion.

Finally, there is another factor that has prevented not just me, but thousands of others from getting out and exploring our towns and cities, and that is this current spate of strikes that are crippling the rail network. I don’t want to get into the politics here, and I’m sure that any plans I may have had, pale into insignificance, but there seems to be stand-off from both sides and a total reluctance from a moribund government, fixated by the freak show that is the Tory leadership contest, to get involved and sort the matter out. 

That’s enough for now, so stay cool and keep calm. As for me, Mrs PBT’s has just informed me, we’re off to visit her sister and niece this later today. They live in Uckfield, and have a swimming pool in the garden. Needless to say, it was the perfect place for keeping cool, this afternoon!