At my weekly catch-up with my friends the topic of conversation was mainly about the amazing and unusual weather we had been experiencing, because the sun had been shining every day, and the temperature was higher than in the Algarve.

“It’s been fantastic,” enthused one.

“It was even better than being abroad,” suggested another.

“I hope we get more of the glorious weather soon,” wished Fiona.

Everyone seemed to be of the same opinion, that the unfamiliar heat and sunshine was a welcome change.

Well, almost everyone………

Because once the chit-chat really started, it unfolded that the glorious unexpected weather wasn’t to everyone’s liking.

“I was concerned about how our pet rabbit Bonnie would cope with the heat,” admitted Angela.

“So I went online for suggestions as to how to keep her cool during the hot spell.”

Now I said nothing, because I would have thought any idiot would have known the answer to that one.

“Firstly it said to make sure your bunny is kept out of the sun," Angela continued.

And I surmised that there must be a lot of daft folk out there if they needed to be told that.

“Then is said to set up a circulating fan, drape a damp towel over the hutch, put a few ice cubes in its water dish and brush out any excessive fur.”

“Goodness me,” exclaimed Christine.

“That’s more than I did for my mother-in-law.”

“But I know where you’re coming from because even the dogs I normally walk have been too exhausted to go far.”

“Well,” added Mae.

“This extreme heat meant I couldn’t get my driveway done because it was too hot to lay the cement.”

Everyone now seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon of a good old moan about the glorious weather.

“I had no idea how hot it was going to be,” moaned Jean.

“So when I returned from a long weekend away, all my new flowers in my hanging baskets and my shrubs had shrivelled.”

“Never mind your plants shrivelling in the heat,” Sandra butted in.

“My poor dad almost shrivelled in the scorching heat when the battery on his mobility scooter packed in.”

We knew we shouldn’t laugh, but couldn’t help it as Sandra continued to enlighten us on her dad’s recent predicament.

“The poor old soul was stranded behind Tesco for ages before finally being rescued by a passing shopper.”

“He was sweltering and dehydrated by the time he got back to his nice cool house.”

Gillian who works in a doctor’s surgery added.

“Patients have been coming to the surgery all week as a result of the hot weather with heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat stress and heat rashes.”

And I didn’t want to admit it, but I had suffered from various heat rashes and sunburn and had attempted to cool myself down.

What I didn’t divulge was the fact that some bright spark had advised me to have a cool bath and add half a cup of olive oil, which apparently would help sooth my heat rash and sunburn.

However, my heat rash became even more red and inflamed, and when I attempted to get out of the bath, the bath and me were so slippery with the oil that I was like a floundered Sea Lion searching for a rock.

As it was impossible to stand upright, the only way I could get out of the bath was to slither head first on to the floor!

“My shoulders are killing me and I’ve also burnt my ears and nose,” added another.

“I have huge blisters and corns on both feet because I wore sandals instead of my usual comfy boots,” sighed another pal.

“Both feet are cut to shreds and I can barely walk.”

“And I’ve had to buy summer work clothes to replace my usual polo necks and cardigans.”

Our local barman who had been earwigging into our moans and groans informed us.

“Due to the hot weather many people started drinking earlier in the day, which has led to numerous fights and riots breaking out all over the place.”

We all seemed to have experienced one affliction or another due to the sudden increase in temperature simply because, for a period of time, we were literally way out of our comfort zone.

So summing up our glorious heatwave we all established that between us we suffered itchy streaming eyes and runny noses due to hay fever, raw, blistered and cut feet, painful sunburn, and unsightly chaffing in certain areas.”

“Also……Amongst other things, our pets were temporarily agoraphobic and our garden needed constant care and attention.”

Did I do a little rain dance?

Well only I will know.