It’s over tomorrow, the heat is over for another year

[LaurieFairyCake]

Firstly I appreciate this is not the same for the rest of the country

but we’ve had it horrific here (London). I’ve never felt so shit in my life as I have for the last 10 weeks. I’ve spent between £250-350 a month on electricity (portable air conditioners). I’ve felt anxious, headachy, it’s FUCKED with my peri menopause (brain fog, no words, cognitive decline). I’ve felt tearful and as if it would go on forever. There are moments where I’ve thought I can’t take another moment of this. My sleep is proper fucked.

this has to change. I’ve done everything on a personsl
level I can. Air conditioners only when necessary, above 26 inside (DH has long Covid so literally throws up in heat). His asthma is exacerbated. The dogs have had the shittest summer. I’ve had a couple of rescues that can’t go out about 22 degrees. I reckon they’ve been walked briefly 3 times a week. We deliberately went away on a cheap caravan holiday twice just so they could smile. There were endless days I couldn’t work as too hot in my home office and clients cancelled.

I cannot wait til Saturday.

I hope for solidarity from others. I want to wear a fucking hoodie again. I’ve spent every day sat around in my underwear inside for vast stretches of the day. This is not sexy.

Cattle and sheep produce methane as part of digestion. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas, although it doesn't remain in the atmosphere as long as CO₂. Manure produces methane and nitrous oxide. Producing animal feed requires land, fertiliser, machinery and energy, generating additional emissions.

If your local farm produces beef or lamb from grass-fed animals, that is better than animals fed with feed made from imported maize and soya. Although even grass-fed animals are likely to require this feed in winter.

Out of season veg is a problem, people should eat fruit and veg in season. Air freighting is even more of a problem. Some avocadoes are air freighted.

Avocados aren't necessarily an environmentally disastrous food in themselves. Their ecological impact depends strongly on the production system. An avocado grown using sustainable water supplies, without clearing native forest, and transported by ship can be quite different environmentally from one grown on a plantation that has displaced forest and depleted groundwater.

And avocado trees themselves are perennial trees, so an established orchard can store considerable carbon and provide some habitat. The problem is often what the orchard replaced and where its water comes from, rather than the avocado tree itself.

I don't understand this. There are many people who feel the same way. Do you think that we have climate change now so there's nothing we can do about it? It will get a lot worse than this. The more carbon dioxide and methane we put into the atmosphere the worse it will get.

The more wind turbines and solar panels we have the less carbon dioxide we will produce. It's also cheaper electricity, makes us less dependent on other countries and can give us less pollution. We're not even trying now, we could have solar panels above every car park, which will also mean you don't have to walk through the rain to get to your car in winter or get into a really hot car in summer.

I don't know what plastic straws have got to do with climate change. We don't want plastic straws in our oceans because they harm animals such as turtles. Avocadoes don't need to produce carbon dioxide as long as we don't air freight them and cut down forests to grow them.

Oh I bet it was bliss!

Thanks! @ItsPickleRick Have just ordered some from Amazon.

Weather much cooler today, and cloudy skies, hurrah!!

I just wish it would really rain.

Jealous. South East London and we have had two tiny sprinkles. I want rain where I can actually see the drops, where the ground isn't dry as dust within two seconds of it getting wet.

Big clouds now so maybe soon. I'd love to put my wellies on!

Avocado is not the only vegetable. Meat is far worse for environment in any case. Oh, and cruel too.

where do people get this 'vegans and vegetarians devour avocados' notion from? I bloody hate avocados. Nasty mushy things.

DP hauled me out of the home office (Surrey) a couple of hours ago and I realised it had been the first day in I-don’t-know-how-long I hadn’t thought about putting the fan on. Bliss.

OMG it’s actually raining

we have rain - hallelujah

The paths are barely damp here, it’s certainly not raining 😢

It’s torrential rain here in far SW at the moment - don’t worry it’s on it’s way!

It’s 06:00 and dark and no birdsong just realised most of them will never have seen torrential rain till today!

It’s to the south of us, none forecast today 😢

I heard it raining during the night, and there are big puddles here. Hope it rains during the day, too, so I can go outside in it ☔

I think we have had rain!

It’s still raining, well drizzling!

Yeah same! Everyone complaining but then most of these people spend £££££ to holiday in Spain every year.
Being from southern Europe I must admit I find this whole drama about 30 degrees weather really amusing. Yes the odd day where we had 33+ degrees can be hard for some to take, I get it. But 28-31 degrees is really just a mild summer day.
I am not looking forward to going back to the same old grey misery.

Holidays are very different to commuting & working without air con etc

So your holidays don't include the sea, pools or air conditioning and you use the tube/public transport daily? That doesn't seem very restful, but it takes all sorts.

Temperatures have been record breaking in parts of the country. It has an impact on health & wellbeing for many.
And it will undoubtedly have an impact on food prices in the future.

I also don’t consider 31 degrees a mild summer day but I don’t go to Greece etc in Aug. I visit family in the South of France but again 31 isn’t mild there

@Notonthestairs yes it's made me feel very vulnerable because.suddenly my safety in my home becomes reliant on my neighbour's and those walking past my house chucking fag butts etc

@BatshitCrazyWoman

i don’t, it’ll get my hair wet

Rain on Clapham Common!

I can smell the petrichor in bed.

Bliss. Please let there be more - oh, and how do I start sleeping at night not day now?

I was out in the rain - it was lovely!