Feeling the heat

A group of friends and I have been comparing temperatures in the range of 35-40°C (95-104°F) during a recent hot spell, and the effect they have on both enjoyment and efficiency. One abandoned thoughts of golf; another was on holiday with family; my partner and I were careful to walk in the shade of trees as we moved from one cool museum to another.

Pity the emergency services personnel still working down in London's deep tube, after the bombings of 7 July, to remove wreckage and bodies in temperatures of 60°C and high humidity. In the Sahara, we were always told that it was impossible to survive at that temperature. It is the temperature at which food begins to cook. Heroism is an overworked word which I rarely regard without suspicion, but I reckon the men and women down there under London deserve it.

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