Old Lad

So how did you get on with the armageddon which was 3 days of sunny weather last week.? I find myself not only being classed as an Old Lad but a Vulnerable adult. So according to the advice from HM Government I should have been holed up in my house in my string vest with all the curtains closed and with neighbours calling in to give me sips of iced water! The reality (and I speak as one who has lived in Saudi Arabia) was that I adopted the “Lets pretend we are on holiday” strategy and sat out each morning with my coffee and pieces of baclava on the patio. And in any case Oop North we know it wont last and the monsoon will come – which it did.

Perhaps i look back to childhood with misty eyed memories but we had hot weather from time to time – probably hotter because it was in fahrenheit not centigrade – and it meant bringing out the Start-Rite sandals and khaki shorts. The TV weather forecast did not paint the country in the lurid red of a volcano and we just had the magnetic suns or clouds which occasionally fell off behind the presenter. I suppose the sun’s UV rays were not as strong because of all the air pollution in the part of Industrial Lancashire that I grew up in but I don’t ever remember getting heat stroke. The highlight of the day would be the ice cream van.

So why do we as a country seem to react so hysterically to what was a few days of heat? My view is its all part of a wider malaise across Government and the public services that “something needs to be done”. And partly that is because of a growth in departments within bodies whose job is to churn out advice whether it is needed or not and thus justify their existence. To a degree I encountered this in my career when I worked within a Health Authority. At that time Health Promotion was a growth industry and Authorities were judged on their “Health Promotion Activities” and chief executives were given brownie points from on high. Let me give you an example. A campaign is devised to get people to brush their teeth more often and look after their dental health. (This was a time when you could actually see an NHS Dentist). Numerous meetings were held, publicity materials devised and someone had an idea to give free toothbrushes to children. Reports were sent to the Regional Health Authority about the campaign and pats on the back were given all round . Did it make any difference? Well we never actually bothered to find out! But it was deemed to prove the value of having a health promotion department. .So the communication was the thing , not the outcome And so it was with our recent “catastrophic Heatwave. Public services and the media piled in. The Met Office invested in more red paint for its charts and screamed “Red Warning”,, Public Health Doctors spoke darkly about how many of us might die, and the BBC news bulletins devoted a large part of their output with the “Phew what a scorcher” stories beloved of journalists.

But did I really need to be told that (a) it was going to be sunny and so probably hot (b) that I should wear cool clothing, (c) drink more and (d) stay in the shade in the middle of the day! We oldies are not idiots! Meanwhile the sheep in the field up the road stood around in their woolie coats and contentedly munched the grass, Anyway in preparation for the next red warning I’ve taken precautions – bought some more baclava and a bottle of Pimms! , Oh and a bag of Ice Cubes!