What a Bleedin’ Scorcher!

Yesterday, it was the hottest day of the year so far and, as Andy Murray served his way to a decisive straight-sets victory at Wimbledon, the temperature at the sizzling Centre Court cauldron soared to 50 degrees celcius. Despite our national obsession with all things meteorological, extreme weather events are relatively rare in Blighty. So too is domestic air-conditioning. It simply isn’t worth the expense for the few days of the year it’s needed. When the mercury rises, some innovative Brits resort to some quirky ways to avoid melting in the midday sun. I snapped this sweaty soul’s sweaty sole along Muspole Street.

Jack Scott Imagine the absurdity of two openly gay, married, middle aged, middle class men escaping the liberal sanctuary of anonymous London to relocate to a Muslim country. I chronicled our exploits with the mad, the bad, the sad and the glad in a blog for the whole world to ignore. Then came the book which became a critically acclaimed best seller. Its success opened out a whole new career for me, firstly as an author, and now as a publisher. Who'd have thought it? Certainly not me. In June 2012, we ended our Anatolian affair and paddled back to Britain on the evening tide, washing up in Norwich, a surprising city in eastern England, then to the wilds of Norfolk as the only gays in the village. I’m sometimes nostalgic for our encounters with the hopeless, the hapless and, yes, the happy go lucky. They gave me an unexpected tale to tell and for this I thank them.

14 thoughts on “What a Bleedin’ Scorcher!”

Let's CUT the Crap! says:

8 July, 2013 at 20:43

I find the soars and dips of temperature a bit scary.

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  8 July, 2013 at 20:45
  
  Me too but it hasn’t lasted. It rarely does.
  
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petchary says:

8 July, 2013 at 21:03

What a great photo!! Yes, the Brits can’t cope with extremes of temperature can they. But that is much hotter than Kingston, Jamaica right now! We are hovering around 35…

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  8 July, 2013 at 21:06
  
  The heat was concentrated in the Centre Court. For most, the temperature was about 30 degrees. Reminded me of spring time in Turkey 🙂
  
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  1. petchary says:
    
    8 July, 2013 at 21:07
    
    Oh, OK… I love England in the summertime, though. Everyone relaxes a bit…
    
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  2. Jack Scott says:
    
    8 July, 2013 at 21:09
    
    It certainly brings a smile to the face and a spring in the step.
    
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backtobodrum says:

9 July, 2013 at 07:16

Great photo. From a chilly Sweden, 30 degrees sounds perfect

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  9 July, 2013 at 09:14
  
  It’s about right for me too. Any higher and I get bad tempered. Isn’t about time you gave up these journey’s to the chilly north? 🙂
  
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Alan says:

9 July, 2013 at 08:09

lot harder to deal with Blighty’s humid heat than back home.

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  9 July, 2013 at 09:13
  
  Interesting. I’ve not found that to be the case. Perhaps it’s a bit fresher here in the flat East 🙂
  
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Carole says:

9 July, 2013 at 08:20

Ha ha reminds me of your escapade with Turkish aircon installation! Make the most of the warmth Darling you know it won’t last long. x

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1. Jack Scott says:
  
  9 July, 2013 at 09:11
  
  I think there’s a glass of chilled white in the garden of the Lamb Inn with my name on it 😉
  
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Russell VJ Ward (@RussellVJWard) says:

18 July, 2013 at 05:33

You are having a bleedin’ wonderful summer at long last. If I hear one Englishman or woman whine later this year about the lack of sun, I shall go postal. Enjoy! 🙂

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Jack Scott says:

18 July, 2013 at 08:29

Now the whingers and whinging about the heat!

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