What a great bit of weather we are having at the moment – as I write this we are basking in the hottest days of June so far. As we all know, we Brits have an obsession with the weather – perhaps it’s the fact that we are an island nation – but it’s certainly a national pastime. And whilst personally, the warm weather is very welcome, I know for others it can be just the opposite.
Particularly for those that suffer from hay fever or other allergies then higher temperatures can bring misery and discomfort.
The other issue is the risk of dehydration as temperatures rise. So please do make sure that you drink plenty of fluids and if the warm weather is not to your liking then stay indoors, keep your blinds closed and if it will help, buy a fan to keep the air circulating in the room.
Just as in cold weather, older people should take care when the temperature rises – heat can be just as much a killer as the cold!
The Great Outdoors
With the good weather comes the opportunity to spend more time outdoors something that I particularly like to do.
I would urge you to make the most of the opportunity and get out and about a bit. There are so many wonderful places to see in this country, so many fascinating places to visit and so many different events, festivals, fairs and fetes planned for now and the next few months.
So make the most of it and go and do something different, something outside your normal routine. Why not visit that art gallery you’ve been meaning to take a look at for a while now, why not make that day trip or short break to the part of the country you’ve always wanted to visit, or why not just get out in the countryside and go for a walk. Whatever it is you do, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune and I guarantee it will lift your mood, if only a little!
NHS
The NHS is again in the news, isn’t it always nowadays, or so it seems, with the recent announcement by the prime minister of new funding to help the service cope with demand going forward. We write about this in our lead story this month, but what the recent announcements do not cover, and which urgently need addressing are the issues surrounding social care – when will the government wake up and smell the coffee on this issue?
Brexit
Brexit continues to dominate the political agenda amid continued infighting within the Cabinet. Not a day seems to go by without more businesses threatening to take their jobs elsewhere if a transition deal for trade cannot be agreed.
And not a day seems to go by without members of the government attacking each other and squabbling over the if’s, buts and maybes.
Whatever you think, whether you agreed with the decision to leave or not, the UK will leave the European Union next year. With time rapidly running out shouldn’t our politicians be concentrating their efforts on getting the best deal that they can for us, their citizens.
In reality, what they seem to be doing is conducting an internal war within the Conservative party and literally bashing lumps out of each other.
Just get on with negotiating the best deal that they can for this country – surely that should be the message – and the quicker that the Cabinet unites and concentrates on doing this the better – for us all!
By Andrew Silk
