(no subject)

The nursery furniture arrived this morning in a plethora of boxes. Poor Dave will be occupied for hours (days?) putting it all together. It's going to be weird waking up and looking at a cotbed each morning. Also, the pushchair and carseat are supposed to arrive on Monday according to Parcelforce's estimate.

So... if I buy sheets this weekend, we'll be ready for any early arrival on Speck's part. That's very scary.

(no subject)

I should really stop reading the BBC "Have your say" discussions in this weather. The thread about our current heatwave is really raising my blood pressure.

If I read one more foreigner (or indeed an ex-pat) criticising the UK for using inferior materials, poor planning or just generally being useless, then I shall scream.

This summer is the hottest summer since Britain started keeping temperature records. Our infrastructure whether it be roads, railway tracks, glass-sided buildings isn't designed for high temperatures. We simply haven't had to deal with them before. So, for Americans and Australians to smugly sit there and say "clearly your roads are of inferior quality if they're melting. Can't the UK do anything right?" (or whatever) ... it's bloody infuriating, that's what it is. Not to mention that our houses are designed to keep heat in, to reduce our heating bills. Many houses have Pilkington K glass which reflects heat back in, FFS!!

If we're going to have temperatures in excess of 35C during the summer from now on then we will adapt. This could be a one off--last summer got up to about 30C, according to my LJ whinging at the time--or it could be the face of the future. We won't know for a few years, I should imagine. So, we'll change our roads gradually, replace rail track, work out green solutions to keep our houses coolish in the summer and warm in the winter.

But for now? We're bloody entitled to complain.