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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be terrified of the coming summer?

970 replies

screamingbanshees · 10/02/2023 07:49

Last year there were 24,000+ heat-related deaths due to the heatwave, and the temperatures here were astronomical. It was the worst summer I've ever experienced, sweating constantly, sticking to every surface, always dehydrated, warm water coming out the cold tap, and sweating as soon as I stepped out of the bath. I also had a very unhappy, sweaty, screamy 1.5 year old!

AIBU to be absolutely dreading this year? Apparently the Met Office has claimed 2023 will have an even hotter summer. I don't know if I can bear it again. DP and I are thinking of booking a holiday just to be somewhere liveable. This is also the first winter I've actually enjoyed because of the relief from the heat.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
WildRose42 · 12/02/2023 01:15

Take no notice of the not so nice MN’ers on here. No everyone likes the heat. It’s different for everyone. So many b on here of late.

Rebellious23 · 12/02/2023 01:20

The nights were the worst for me, ground floor bedroom and can’t have the windows open. I got a few cooling mats which really helped
For anyone saying get a grip, my entire body looks like this when I react to heat from my feet to the palms of my hands. I’m genuinely allergic to it (no it’s not just a heat rash) and while my medication (injections) help massively, they don’t work great in high temps
it itches insanely which also doesn’t help the sleep and I have to stop all exercise/walking/cleaning to keep my HR and temp down

To be terrified of the coming summer?
To be terrified of the coming summer?
abilouhardy · 12/02/2023 02:09

I really really struggled with the heat last year - the house we were living in was mercilessly hot and I had three kids under seven, an autistic teenager who hates heat, and was heavily pregnant. Then everyone got covid in the middle of it 🤣🤣.

i truly understand your worry - however, also I think it is misplaced to start worrying about everything you could worry about, if you see what I mean. You need to take a step back. Practice a bit of meditation and mindfulness and understand some things you can’t control. Plan ways to stay cool and mostly don’t stress. I think everyone here would be well advised to look beyond the echo chamber of what you hear in the scare mongery news and understand that “climate change” is NOT “settled science with a 97% consensus amongst climatologists”, that’s simply a lie. Temperature fluctuations happen over thousands of years very commonly, and humans have lived through far hotter spells very successfully. I do not detract from how miserable extreme heat can be for those who don’t do well with it (I like spring and autumn), but please don’t be prey to gloom and doom scares which make your worry worse.
look into it, seriously. The Daily Sceptic is a good source of alternative views. But anyway, that aside, identify ways you can preempt extreme heat - there are a few really good products and techniques out there.
I grew up in South America, it was often 30 degrees in the day for months on end. people start their days by 6 am and stay mostly indoors in cool rooms and shaded areas in the afternoons. Invest in air con or amazing fans or find someone with a really cold room in their house who you can visit if it gets boiling! Take a literal chill pill, you are going to be fine. I found the kids were too hot to play so we ended up in buckets of ice on the kitchen floor eating lollies and waiting it out or watching shows on the laptop….. or playing with empty spray bottles which we filled with cold water and sprayed in front of an oscillating tower fan!

magicthree · 12/02/2023 03:08

mydogisthebest · 11/02/2023 18:21

Hope you don't have children as you obviously don't care about the likely awful future they will face. As long as you like hot weather that's all that matters

Show quote history

Someone saying they like the heat and roll on summer has zero effect on climate change. All the hand wringing in the world also has zero effect.

America12 · 12/02/2023 03:54

Terrified ? Confused

Cate0101 · 12/02/2023 04:55

Message from Australia. Keep water bottles in the fridge. Keep wet hand towels in the fridge. Cold showers. Have another cold shower if you need it. Play in the water with your child all day if you need. Go swimming if you can. Make sure you have air con in your car. Buy a fan NOW before they all sell out in the summer. Get used to a layer of sweat against your body. It's your body working to keep you cool. Humidity is hotter than dry heat. Go to malls where they have air con and spend the hottest part of the day there. Ventilation is key. All the best.

Burgess67A · 12/02/2023 07:03

I agree. The south was dreadful last year.

galacia · 12/02/2023 07:11

I am with you. Where I live, the weather has been extreme, and when I think ahead to late spring and summer, I am anxious.

Mummymoomingrumpy · 12/02/2023 07:28

The south was too hot for me last summer. It made me think about moving. I am dreading it too.

LesleyA · 12/02/2023 08:39

Planning a trip to UK in July any thoughts of London heat with youngish kids

CowCuddler · 12/02/2023 08:42

OP I'm with you on this. I hate the summer months anyway but last year's was awful. I had no energy to do anything, it completely drained me.

People saying it was only a few days of heat must have very short memories, most of my friends think I'm nuts for hating the summer but even they were complaining by the half way point, so it must have been bad.

Your thread has brought back the grossness of summer, think I might have a look at air con units now...

HotCroissant · 12/02/2023 08:44

Me too. I was so happy when it got cold and I could wear my coats. I love cold weather now. I find it easier to heat up than cool down.

Eowyn78 · 12/02/2023 08:51

I absolutely loved the summer last year. Helped me prepare for my holiday in Florida, which was much hotter, btw.

More people die from the cold than the heat. I am tired of hearing the dire warnings from the Met office to keep us constantly in fear so we will be compliant. The UK just needs to adapt the infrastructure to make things easier for people e.g add air conditioning to schools. I mean it's a lot hotter in African countries and they manage.

It is easier for people to adapt to their environment than to try and change the climate itself.

Floofyduffypuddy · 12/02/2023 08:55

I think one of the huge problems was we can't quickly adapt. We didn't start our day at 6am

We don't have houses with air cons.

We don't adapt at all.

MarshaBradyo · 12/02/2023 08:58

Floofyduffypuddy · 12/02/2023 08:55

I think one of the huge problems was we can't quickly adapt. We didn't start our day at 6am

We don't have houses with air cons.

We don't adapt at all.

Tbf I’m not keen on either. I don’t particularly want 6am start and air con everywhere

WiIson · 12/02/2023 08:58

We might not have a choice but to adapt though.

Dibbydoos · 12/02/2023 09:01

Yep, climate change and its going to get worse. I worry for our kids living in a world where the climate is unsafe 😞

I recommend a Maecom fan as thry work, but any cheap fan with dampened ribbons will make it feel cooler.

Or if you have some cash to splash try a reverse cycle air con unit. You can both heat and cool with it.

Good luck x

Floofyduffypuddy · 12/02/2023 09:01

Sorry marsh's I think it's a good idea.
I felt scared to drive my old car when the roads were melting to get the children!

Teateaandmoretea · 12/02/2023 09:02

Planning a trip to UK in July any thoughts of London heat with youngish kids

If it’s very hot the tube is horrendous and sight seeing wouldn’t be much fun.

But the thing is it could equally be 18 and raining or the weather could be perfect. The people on this thread have decided because we had some very unpleasant heat last year it will be the same again. We’ve also had some properly shit summers in the last few years.

slowquickstep · 12/02/2023 09:08

OP Did you have your curtains and windows open ? Next summer shut them both and turn a fan on.

Ginmonkeyagain · 12/02/2023 09:10

@LesleyA i mean it depends what you are used to in terms of heat.

The nain thing to bear in mind is Central London is certainly not well built for temperatures above the high thirties.

The deeper and older tube lines are not air conditioned so get pretty unbearable, best avoided but if that it not possible take water.

Many, but not all shops and public buildings have air cinditioning, so seek them out. London is blessed with a lot of parks and green spaces, so use them.

Since covid London has embraced more al fresco esting and dining so on hot days you can eat and drink outside when tne sun goes down.

I live and work in London and last summer was fine with some sensible adaptions, there were just a few very uncomfortably hot days when changes in behaviour was needed.

The key thing about the UK weather is it is very unpredicable. The week London reached 40 degrees, tne temperature dropped about 15 degrees by the end of the same week.

mydogisthebest · 12/02/2023 09:11

slowquickstep · 12/02/2023 09:08

OP Did you have your curtains and windows open ? Next summer shut them both and turn a fan on.

Oh wow bet she never thought of this. Thanks for the pearls of wisdom.

I can assure you that keeping the windows and curtains closed and having TWO fans on made no difference.

MigGirl · 12/02/2023 09:11

We are in the South East, it's always warmer here. But last year was really hot 🔥.

What I find odd is people don't know how to react in the heat. We see everyone around us with all their windows open in the middle of the day. This is totally the wrong thing to do. In general our homes are well insulated, cool the house down during the night, then shut it up during the day. We managed to keep it at least 5C cooler inside even on the hotter days. Closing blinds/curtains on windows where you get direct sun as well.

We already have ceiling fans in a few rooms as it's normally warmer here in the summer so that helps. But we do have extra standing fans to.

After last summer we are considering adding an air-conditioning unit to one room to help us all sleep. As we did all do musical rooms on a few nights and end up downstairs to.

Ginmonkeyagain · 12/02/2023 09:15

Yeah in my local area it was clear many people certainly did not get the message about keeping windows and curtains closed .

I had a running batle with Mr Monkey about it in our house, who kept in insisting that it was better to open the windows - not when it is fucking 40 degrees outside it isn't! 🙄

RumandSpinach · 12/02/2023 09:15

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