UK hot weather.

I see that you come from Manchester too catheterboy, - we are just not used to prolonged sunshine here in the rainy capital of the North
Peter too is finding it difficult. Spasticity is his greatest challenge and a temperature swing from the "average" either way increases his muscle tightness. Also he doesn't sweat - a side effect gift from the SCI fairy - so temperature regulation is hard. We have found that a towel soaked in cold water and wrung out, then placed round his neck helps a little.
Don't mean to moan - we are due some good weather as the past few summers have been terrible - but it is hard for him. At least when it is cold you can crank the heating up.
Luckily we have a room that only gets the sun in the mornings so stays cool(er) in the hottest part of the day. Also the football and cricket and tennis and wall to wall sport on the telly is proving a good distraction for him .

I prepared well after the record temperatures of 10 August 2003 (close on 40°). On that day, that week of searing heat, I had to lie on the bed twice a day and have cold wet towels rubbed all over my body. My blood-pressure was at an all-time low due to the high temperatures. My body temperature was up. I couldn't cool down. There wasn't the slightest breeze and you could not escape the heat. The conservatory compounded the problem by collecting the heat and funnelling it into the house. You daren't go near the conservatory. I used to have all my art equipment set up there. I would rush out for two minutes at a time, dab a bit of paint on a picture, then rush back indoors gasping. 'Never again' I thought to myself. And so I had air-conditioning units fitted to the conservatory, the room I'm in now (a sort of study room) and my bedroom. Last year I had a unit put in the shed where I paint. The beauty of these air-conditioning units is you can reverse the flow of air from cold to hot. Very useful in the winter. The heat is very pleasant and only costs the price of a refrigerator motor to run.

Rather worryingly is the lack of rain.  The garden is parched and leaves on the fruit trees are beginning to turn upwards.  We haven't had any rain this month.  The fish pond is depleted of water.  There's around 9 inches of water left, with a prolific growth of weed floating on the top.  I guess it stops the evaporation but then again the weed itself is drawing water and evaporating it into the atmosphere.  The cat loves it, though.  It lays in the sun on its back, legs in the air.  There is a large eucalyptus tree in the garden over the back, which is drawing all the moisture from the ground.  The leaves on the eucalyptus tree are also turning up due to the lack of water.  MAKE THE MOST OF IT WHILE YOU CAN.  It will all break down soon enough.  This is the UK, remember.  It is the U.K isn't it?  You'd think we were some hot Mediterranean country.  Looking at the European weather forecast last night, the UK was actually hotter than Athens and parts of Spain. 

Excuse me while I just flick the air-conditioning switch.  Ahhh!  Excellent ... instant cool breeze wafting down.

We are entering the hot and life threatening season here in the low desert. 110 F high today. I douse my t-shirt in water before going out, and do the same at the gym. The gym has A/C but not quite adequate for the quick changes in body temp I experience as a quad exercising. It makes me feel sick, but if I zoom the the bathroom and soak the top part of my shirt, I do ok. We have dry heat here- humid heat is more difficult to manage.

We hit 116 here in the High Desert with just a mere 10% humidity and I wanted to die! The swamp cooler went off, and the AC has been running all week. I do not know how you people with no air conditioning make it.

hi lenny you must live near me it was 118° F on Friday and saturday

At least in the UK we now have air conditioning in our cars.