Memories of Summer 1976

[PistachioTiramisu]

If you are ancient, like me, what are your best memories of the summer of 1976? I had just started work - in an office without AC! - but we had flextime so I would arrive at work at 8 and leave at 4. I had a boyfriend with a speedboat and we went out in it every evening, taking a picnic which I had bought at lunchtime, and cooling a bottle of wine in the sea! They were idyllic times, but I never remember feeling too hot. Had the best suntan of my life that year - thanks Bergasol!!

Went to Germany on a school trip. Stayed in the Harz mountains. Idyllic.
We were taken on a tour of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg and it was so hot we were given those teeny little lemon hand wipes that came wrapped individually in paper sachets. I had never seen anything so exotic!

On a long car journey home from my cousin’s wedding up North, sitting in the backseat of my dads Worsley, in the middle between my brother and sister ,no seatbelts, sticking to the leather seats, no AC. The car felt like an oven. Asking mum for a drink and she handed me a bottle of warm orange squash. Elton John and Kiki Dee playing on the radio Don’t Go Breaking my Heart. Asking are we there yet every 10 minutes as the heat was unbearable.

I remember turning on a tap in primary school and no water coming out.

I had the best summer holiday job ever, selling ice creams at the beach. We would go swimming in the sea on our breaks as well as before and after work. The summer seemed to never end and we were typical teenagers, hanging out with friends at the village 'rec' in the evenings. My DF built a BBQ in the garden and cooked meat or fish on it every evening. It really was a blissful summer.

I wasn't born then but when moaning when I was a kid during the summer how hot I was my dad used to say "well you were lucky you weren't here in 1976 then you would have had something to complain about"

I remember it well. Endless days of sunshine, brown fields and ice-pops rationed to one per day by my Mum. Not RTFT so it may have been mentioned but The Summer of '76 by Isabel Ashdown is a wonderful coming-of-age novel set on the Isle of Wight.

I was 7 and I remember an orange cartoon character called the Water Bug that appeared on posters encouraging people not to waste water.
There was definitely a real, live Water Bug (costumed character) at the Suffolk Show that year.
I think there were even television adverts featuring the Water Bug, but that last bit could be a false memory!

I was 18, wore maxi cheesecloth skirts with little mirrors in, patchouli oil and and wandered around barefoot. I was disappointed to have missed the hippy years but the mid 70s had a bit of a hippy renaissance.
I worked in an office built in the 60s with huge glass windows. It was hot.

I was 9/10, Sept birthday, hot school days, lessons under the trees in the 'garden', in reality it was a thin strip with silver birch trees in a line behind the buildings. Lunchtimes, straight out onto the school fields, those of us with packed lunch were allowed to have them picnic style outside. Swimming lessons in the small school pool. The only year we had more than a couple as it was usually freezing!
After school and weekends out playing, riding bikes. The local football pitch was a dust bath! Playing out in the school holidays, No trips, no organised activities, no childcare just day after day out playing.

It was truly the best of childhood memories for me.

I was 6 and remember a few things. One was getting melted tar on my knickers from sitting on the kerb! Also going to see Lake Vrynwy in Wales where the water level dropped and you could see the old village.
The strongest memory though is being on holiday in Devon, being in the sea all day, playing out on the campsite at night and not being able to sleep as the camper van was like an oven!

Swarms of ladybirds.

And people complaining they were biting them.

I was one and my poor mum was heavily pregnant with my sister who was born in Oct 76. There are photos of me in a bonnet on the beach crawling in the shallow water.

yes it was mostly lettuce, big tomatoes cut up, cucumber sliced and maybe beetroot and radishes and spring onions if your mum was adventurous. No avocados, no couscous, no cherry tomatoes, no rocket.

I wasn’t born in ‘76 but my parents got married in June that year. They are about to have their 50th wedding anniversary this week and they always tell stories of my Dad sweating in Church and everyone being too hot to eat any food at the reception!

That is one of my strongest memories. It was wonderful

Thousands and thousands of ladybirds. All over the grass in the park, on the trees, all over the roads and pavements. Ladybirds everywhere.

I’m not old enough to remember 1976 but my mum and dad got married in August 76, the day the weather broke and it rained all day!

The drought lasted 18 months and I’ve just read on google that there were 15 days with temperatures of 32C and one day when it was 35C.

I once read that the time to worry is when these events become more frequent, as they’re doing now. If it’s the hottest day since 1930, you’re ok. When the space between is only a few years, it’s serious.

I missed a big chunk of it on CH5, because we turned on to see a really cute doc about a guy who cared for an orphaned otter (CH4), but CH5 have a programme about 1976 this afternoon.

We were on a 1930’s(?) road that was made from concrete slabs, held together by tar. We kids used to sit in the road and dig into the tar, but not that summer (NB hardly anybody had a car they would use except to go to work) we just used to have to be alert to the local riding school).

I have that mirrored skirt and my friend made me cushion covers from it a couple of years ago

I was at university during it all. No rain at all from May to September. The annoying thing was the water restrictions - 7pm to 8am was the only time the taps were on, so baths were filled to provide water for flushing toilets.
I don't remember the house being too warm, but then it was a very old stone-built building with thick walls.
I worked in a bakery near the railway lines and you could see the trains to London being hosed down so they''d be nice and shiny. Very very annoying.

I was a very young mum to my son who was born in spring 1975 and had an idyllic babyhood rolling around in a bucolic setting as I was lucky enough to live close to the beach / sea and on a farm to boot. There were swarms and swarms of ladybirds and yes they did bite ! Being so young and getting down to the beach regularly with friends meant I snapped back into shape pretty quickly (did take wet wipes / water to de-salt / sand before a feed !) The heat was horrific for the farmland and animals all around. I don't remember there being stand pipes but there must have been restrictions I daresay.
I wouldn't have wanted to be in a city, no siree bob. We didn't have a telly, but looking at clips much later it was devastating all over ♨️ And now the "new normal". 🥵