To ask if this scoffing at the concern over the heatwave have changed their minds yet?

[DeadbeatYoda]

Just that really. I've just watched the news. The houses burning, the grass fires, the rail infrastructure buckling. Record temperatures in 29 locations today. Several areas exceeding 40 degrees. Do you still think it's 'hysteria' to take it seriously?

Spot on. I had a right drama queen telling me I was a drama queen!

I was melting yesterday on my walk back late morning (to spend rest of day hiding at home) and was spotting all the places where I'd plant trees.

Do you think the council would pay the blindest bit of attention if I wrote to them and suggested it?

The vast majority of the population want to pay less tax not more, public services cant run as they are at the moment due to the continual cuts in real terms funding. Your best bet is to start a project or programme where you raise the money and propose to the council that they give you permission to plant trees in various spots. You will need to take into account that there are also people who dont want trees near their houses due to root issues.

The best thing people can do if they want to plan for heat (which is not the majority of weather type we have in this country) is to stop paving over lawns, lawns are effective in lowering temperatures.

Also Ive noticed lots of people who are het up about 'the country isnt set up to deal with heat and we need to change' - but their suggestions are either going to cost more (people vote for low tax governments these days) or they will raise emissions (such as people are suggesting more air con).

The vast majority of people suffer from low temperatures on average throughout the year, so its not surprising that the infrastructure and our housing tends to be built for that in mind. I cant imagine most building plans for new housing will build with heat in mind (such as air con/shutters etc) because their focus is building to average temperatures.

We have a Street Trees organisation in our borough. I noticed about ten new cherry trees next to the school with their tag on them

They take donations or volunteers, maybe Google if you have similar to donate to, they’ll plant some more

No

I just imagine all of these people who are implying or saying it's a big fuss are living in large, leafy suburbs in well ventilated houses with a garden, with lots of space, and are well off.

They are not those who are in poor health, are in a studio flat or a top floor flat, who have had the sun on it, and who don't have green spaces nearby. Who have worked fast food and then had to pedal home in the sun.

I also know there are lots of well off people with gardens who understand so it's not everyone.

I have a friend whose flat reached 40 degrees inside. It isn't safe. Where are you meant to go? There are no cooling centres. Nowhere is open past 10pm in some places. Her boyfriend was getting nosebleeds from being there.

I absolutely love the heat but last night was insane here. It was still 29C at 11pm outside. It felt worse than in the day inside. I went to the top of a large hill near here only to find other people had done the same and there were a lot of people there. At 9pm, 10pm, 11pm flats were still getting hotter for some reason, everyone was out on the streets. I've never seen anything like it. It felt like the apocalypse to see people out walking around at that hour.

I saw people working in a fish and chip shop - that's meant to be 10 - 15C hotter than outside.

It's easy to shrug it off if you have ideal conditions. The conditions were very different around the UK too. Some places were fine. There were massive differences on the map.

Where I live a lot of people get up from 3-4am and it starts to get noisy from them so I have to sleep with window completely shut. When I woke up I felt sick. I also felt weird and disorientated. I'm fine now, but I felt pretty shitty when I woke up. I have a foam mattress (latex) which is fine all but those two nights! So I was in a very small room with the window closed.

Yes, it was only two days. But I can easily see how it becomes dangerous. I was more worried about very elderly relatives.

Bit sick of reading of people scoffing at things to be honest. It's like you can't have any concern or you're a snowflake. It just annoys me when I read people saying they were fine and then they talk about their garden or something and don't realise how lucky they are. You can cool off in the evenings in a garden, as soon as it drops.

I find it a bit short sighted that people can't seem to see that some people suffer UNTIL they are in the situation themselves. It wasn't a normal heat or like anything I've felt before. Thankfully, it's absolutely fine now outside but still v hot inside. It wasn't something normal or usual. That is why everyone was talking about it. It wasn't just a 'bit' hot. The indoor conditions were the problem not the outdoor ones for some people.

I'm one of those lucky people. I slept with the windows shut because of the noise, and felt so rough in the morning. I have everything going for me (well, except air con!), flexible working, big house etc.
it was hard!

Yeah, I’m really lucky. I work in an inner London school with some extremely challenging and mostly poor pupils.
10 hour day. It was hot and challenging, but because I’m a grown up I got on with it without moaning.

Totally agree

because I’m a grown up I got on with it without moaning.

wow. So hecause of my health conditions, age and medication, I'm not a grown up because despite, fortunately my workplace closing for the day, I felt horrendous and unable to function in the main.

Privilege.