Water

The outdoor temperature today hit 43 degrees outside the house. The thermometer is in direct sunlight against a wall so I suspect the air temperature was slightly less but it was noticeably warmer than yesterday.  The BBC reported that over 34 locations exceeded the UK's previous temperature record of 38.7C recorded in Cambridge in July 2019.

We’ve been inside most of the day and, as we’ve kept curtains closed, the house has remained cooler than outside. It was bin collection day and, although the council had warned that we might have collection delays, there have been none. In the midday heat I brought the bin back off the street and it was definitely warm. A very dry heat that’s very similar to heat on the continent. It would be really nice, by the sea in the shade. Probably not great commuting. 

The advice has been to stay hydrated so we’ve been drinking a lot of water, which has consequences. Today, we finally capitulated and booked a plumber for tomorrow to come and fix the flush on the toilet that’s been causing problems by not turning off.