Heatwave and lockdown

[Andy davidson]

Well, made it to the Somme, here until Aug 17th by which time I probably will have to quarenteen for 2 weeks on my return. My first time here in the heat of Summer, usually come May, September ish, it is hot, 36 today. Had a walk to Curlu to look at the French area  today, beautiful walk skirting the river Somme. Off to walk from the Ancre to the Leipzig saliant and beyond Saturday. Forecast is even hotter.

 

The roads are quiet, lots using facemasks in Intermarche, but lots of UK guests where I stay in Hardcourt. Lots of walking planned with my new Linesman ( a 60th present) if anyone sees a grey haired bloke in shorts collapsed near Dellville wood , holding a new tablet, that should be me, please provide water and send me on my way. Hope anyone else arriving here has a safe and enjoyable time, is it worth 14 days lockdown after, not sure but was a good idea at the time, stay safe everyone.

 

Andy

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

1 hour ago, Andy davidson said:

"...  but lots of UK guests where I stay in Hardcourt. …"

 

Trust you and the other "lots of UK guests where I stay in Hardcourt" are enthusiastically following instructions on the trinkets envelopes in the farm store - Chinese meals in Albert depend on it - Richard or Michelle will explain ☺

Tom

[Andy davidson]

12 hours ago, Tom Tulloch-Marshall said:

 

Trust you and the other "lots of UK guests where I stay in Hardcourt" are enthusiastically following instructions on the trinkets envelopes in the farm store - Chinese meals in Albert depend on it - Richard or Michelle will explain ☺

Tom

😄😄😄

[KIRKY]

On 07/08/2020 at 22:44, Tom Tulloch-Marshall said:

 

Trust you and the other "lots of UK guests where I stay in Hardcourt" are enthusiastically following instructions on the trinkets envelopes in the farm store - Chinese meals in Albert depend on it - Richard or Michelle will explain ☺

Tom

Come on Tom share it with the rest of us, 

Tony

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

1 hour ago, KIRKY said:

Come on Tom share it with the rest of us, 

Tony

 

Tony - when you are next in France make arrangements to visit Chavasse Ferme and inspect "Tom's Trinkets" - a source of finance for Preston Sea Cadets and meals out at Wafu in Albert (highly recommended - but don't eat more than two digestive biscuits the day you intend going  ).

Tom

[KIRKY]

10 hours ago, Tom Tulloch-Marshall said:

 

Tony - when you are next in France make arrangements to visit Chavasse Ferme and inspect "Tom's Trinkets" - a source of finance for Preston Sea Cadets and meals out at Wafu in Albert (highly recommended - but don't eat more than two digestive biscuits the day you intend going  ).

Tom

Cheers Tom will do, have eaten at Wafu and was very good had my first( probably last) snail there as well! Keep safe, hope to see you propping up Doms bar again!

Tony

[Marilyne]

Andy,

Don't mind them … I wish you good luck and a great time on your trip !!

but please be careful when walking with this heat!! Stay hydrated!!!

 

M.

Edited 11 August , 2020 by Marilyne

[Andy davidson]

57 minutes ago, Marilyne said:

Andy,

Don't mind them … I wish you good luck and a great time on your trip !!

but please be careful when walking with this heat!! Stay hydrated!!!

 

M.

Thanks Marilyne, I carry 3 litres of water with me, heavy at first but usually half of it gone in the first hour, had a great walk to Delville Wood today, on the way back a deer wandered out of Trones wood about 2 metres in front of me. I stood like a statue, it saw me and gently skipped back into the wood, a magical moment.

[healdav]

1 hour ago, Andy davidson said:

Thanks Marilyne, I carry 3 litres of water with me, heavy at first but usually half of it gone in the first hour, had a great walk to Delville Wood today, on the way back a deer wandered out of Trones wood about 2 metres in front of me. I stood like a statue, it saw me and gently skipped back into the wood, a magical moment.

I walked 11 km today with a group. In and out of the forests and open fields.

I do sweat a lot and always carry 2 litres of water. Today I had an extra 1/2 litre and had drunk  1/2 litre on the bus before starting.

When I got home I had lost nearly 1 kilo in weight.

Dehydration is an ever present danger. Incidentally, I normally take a small bottle of lemonade with me (not wanting to advertise). One tip, if you can. The 1/2 litre extra was frozen overnight ( I do it for every walk in this sort of weather) and put in my rucksack on the other water and sandwiches. It was only just completely defrosted when we got to the end.

[Andy davidson]

14 hours ago, healdav said:

I walked 11 km today with a group. In and out of the forests and open fields.

I do sweat a lot and always carry 2 litres of water. Today I had an extra 1/2 litre and had drunk  1/2 litre on the bus before starting.

When I got home I had lost nearly 1 kilo in weight.

Dehydration is an ever present danger. Incidentally, I normally take a small bottle of lemonade with me (not wanting to advertise). One tip, if you can. The 1/2 litre extra was frozen overnight ( I do it for every walk in this sort of weather) and put in my rucksack on the other water and sandwiches. It was only just completely defrosted when we got to the end.

Good advice, my other half, Erica, bought 2 expensive water bottles a while back which keeps the water chilled for up to ten hours. At the time of purchase I laughed at the cost, oh how I laughed yesterday as she had a cool drink and mine was like drinking hot bath water 😆😆, enjoy your walking, off for a walk over the Hawthorn Ridge/ Redan/ Serre today with lots more hot water.

[healdav]

1 hour ago, Andy davidson said:

Good advice, my other half, Erica, bought 2 expensive water bottles a while back which keeps the water chilled for up to ten hours. At the time of purchase I laughed at the cost, oh how I laughed yesterday as she had a cool drink and mine was like drinking hot bath water 😆😆, enjoy your walking, off for a walk over the Hawthorn Ridge/ Redan/ Serre today with lots more hot water.

Nothing like a nice drink of hot water!

[Moonraker]

I don't envy people who have, or choose, to wear masks in this hot weather, especially outside (as I believe is now required in parts of France).

 

This morning I did my Big Shop at Waitrose,arriving at 0720 to find a queue of Old Normal proportions. (I was fourth in line.) Early in Lockdown I spent £20 on a super-dooper mask whose makers secured a lot of positive media coverage (which is to say that lazy hacks re-printed the firm's press releases) but which subsequently has had mixed consumer reviews. It's a rather long piece of stockinette impregnated with something or other and I thought it would be a bit "heavy" in these temperatures. I opened a a pack of more economical models to find that they were quite rigid, which might prevent germs from spreading but didn't help breathing. So I resorted to a flimsier model, also a stockinette, but that kept slipping down.  I wore it for about 20minutes inside Waitrose and was very glad to take it off as soon as I got  out. I pity people store staff who have to wear masks all day long (as seems to be required in my local Co-op).

 

(Two belated enhancements at Waitrose: a sanitiser dispenser is available outside the entrance  - and I helped myself on the way out, as well as in - and the card readers are now fixed rigid, facing away from the check-out ladies/gents. Except that I tried to grab the one on the till that I was using to position it towards me.)

[NigelS]

I read somewhere the other day that prolonged wearing of face masks is likely to lead to drowsiness etc because of an increased CO2 content in what is being inhaled from that trapped by exhaling. To me, this does make some sense, but not being an expert, is there any truth to it?

 

I too was out walking yesterday with quite a bit of sun exposure encountered  in open countryside (I usually make an effort not to walk in such conditions, but on this occasion  I needed to occupy some time while my car was being serviced & MOT'd.) Having experienced problems and come unstuck on a  long distance walk in similar conditions, for the first time I  tried using a water soaked micro-fibre 'cooling' towel in an attempt to keep myself cool (the concept is that the continuous  evaporation of the water has a cooling affect).  Having read mixed reviews, I'd been a bit sceptical about how effective these might be, but for me it worked.   A Negative review  commented that you get damp (No s***t Sherlock), but this is no worse than that caused through sweating and it's certainly cooler and more comfortable; another commented that a wet tea or conventional towel would work just as well - they're missing the point: a micro fibre towel has considerable less volume, so takes up very little space when compared with conventional  ones, yet still has very good water retention properties.  Whether it was a psychological thing, or whether there really is a cooling affect, I wouldn't like to say, but I believe I was far more comfortable than had I not used it.

 

NigelS

[Michelle Young]

10 hours ago, Andy davidson said:

Good advice, my other half, Erica, bought 2 expensive water bottles a while back which keeps the water chilled for up to ten hours. At the time of purchase I laughed at the cost, oh how I laughed yesterday as she had a cool drink and mine was like drinking hot bath water 😆😆, enjoy your walking, off for a walk over the Hawthorn Ridge/ Redan/ Serre today with lots more hot water.

I took advantage of a 50% NHS discount to get mine, worth every penny 

[Guest]

Just as a curiosity, what was tyhe highest temperature recorded on the Western Front during the Great War?  Perhaps the Somme,for example in late July-August 1916. Plenty of stuff on "wet" but not much on being baked stone dry while in the front line   (A reverse problem to Gallipoli- associated with dry and arid- though several of my local casualties were for frostbite and pneumonia after the rains and snow came in November 1915).  Just a thought......

Edited 12 August , 2020 by Guest

[Malcolm Linham]

A quick scan of Chris McCarthy  The Somme Day by Day gives the following 

 

  29/7/16    81 degrees F 

  30/7/16    82  "    "      F

  31/7/16    82  "    "      F

    1/8/16    86  "     "     F

    2/8/16    88   "    "     F

    3/8/16    84   "    "     F

 

  Malcolm 

[Guest]

Thanks Malcolm-the daily temperatures are listed up to 1st July in the book Pro Patria Mori-about the 56th Division at Gommecourt-so I knew the numbers were out there somewhere. An interesting little sidelight on the Somme- for instance, the extra amount of water that would have to be brought up  by fatigue parties each day.

   Now and in 1916 the title of the old,moderately un-PC television series comes to mind-"It aint Half Hot Mum"

Edited 12 August , 2020 by Guest

[Andy davidson]

Thanks Malcolm-the daily temperatures are listed up to 1st July in the book Pro Patria Mori-about the 56th Division at Gommecourt-so I knew the numbers were out there somewhere. An interesting little sidelight on the Somme- for instance, the extra amount of water that would have to be brought up  by fatigue parties each day.

   Now and in 1916 the title of the old,moderately un-PC television series comes to mind-"It aint Half Hot Mum"

Re the water, we were thinking about the logistics of that, and dealing with the heat during 1916 and beyond, I just can not imagine how they dealt with it all, beyond respect......

[healdav]

On 12/08/2020 at 11:32, Moonraker said:

I don't envy people who have, or choose, to wear masks in this hot weather, especially outside (as I believe is now required in parts of France).

 

This morning I did my Big Shop at Waitrose,arriving at 0720 to find a queue of Old Normal proportions. (I was fourth in line.) Early in Lockdown I spent £20 on a super-dooper mask whose makers secured a lot of positive media coverage (which is to say that lazy hacks re-printed the firm's press releases) but which subsequently has had mixed consumer reviews. It's a rather long piece of stockinette impregnated with something or other and I thought it would be a bit "heavy" in these temperatures. I opened a a pack of more economical models to find that they were quite rigid, which might prevent germs from spreading but didn't help breathing. So I resorted to a flimsier model, also a stockinette, but that kept slipping down.  I wore it for about 20minutes inside Waitrose and was very glad to take it off as soon as I got  out. I pity people store staff who have to wear masks all day long (as seems to be required in my local Co-op).

 

(Two belated enhancements at Waitrose: a sanitiser dispenser is available outside the entrance  - and I helped myself on the way out, as well as in - and the card readers are now fixed rigid, facing away from the check-out ladies/gents. Except that I tried to grab the one on the till that I was using to position it towards me.)

We were first sent a pack of 5 masks by the government (free), and then later 50 masks for every registered member of the household. We were never going to use 50 masks, so we sent a pack of 20 to my daughter and husband in Britain as they couldn't buy them at all.

[Marilyne]

At least you have ONE directive for the country… in Belgium it's a mess… the latest one being in Brussels… wear your mask at all times… if you sit down on Bench to eat your ice cream then you can take it off, if you want to eat your ice cream while walking, please put it back on after each bite.

my favorite: you don't have to wear a mask on a race bike in full racing gear, but you do have to wear your mask on your "Dutch" bike going for groceries… I don't know what the rule is for people going for groceries with a backpack on their racebike though…

and when walking your dog all on your lonesome in the forest, you don't necessearily have to wear a mask, but have it ready in case you meet another person… starts to look like the wild wild west… the last to put on the mask is a dead man…

 

M.

[Andy davidson]

Impressive rules, nearly as good as the UK Government, if someone tests positive for Covid 19, and then dies, say in a car crash, if it's within 28 days (???) the death is counted as a Covid death.

 

How can that make any sense 🤣🤣,

 

Back on topic, walking down the side of Trones Wood yesterday a roe deer wandered out of the woods not 3 meter's away from me,we all stood there looking at one another and he/she gracefully skipped back into the wood, fantastic moment.

[jonbem]

I hear on the news that from 4am tomorrow (15th Aug) anyone returning from France now has to quarantine

 

[sc-em]

Yup. That seems to be the case. We return tomorrow. Typical. 

[Andy davidson]

12 minutes ago, sc-em said:

Yup. That seems to be the case. We return tomorrow. Typical. 

I return Monday, safe trip back home

[sc-em]

You too. Gov forms to fill in before returning.