[windows_chepstow]

The past few days haven't been much fun with this heat we've been having, although I think tomorrow is going to be slightly cooler than today.

I'm lucky in that I've got two days this week were I could start really early (the second one being tomorrow; a 4.30 am start) and a third day I could start at 7.00 am.

As I say, I started at 7.00 am this morning and by 7.05 am I was sweating like a pig and I sacked it at 10.00 am, picked up Wor Lass, and went canvassing and leaflet dropping (even though I'm well behind with my current work); just so I felt like I'd done something productive.

How're you lot coping with the heat?

[supernova77]

I'm just working as normal, but having lots and lots of water to drink!

Andy

[matt]

mon and tuesday was a killer, very hot, i carried on and got my days work done, but it was VERY hard work, i would sit in my car at lunchtime with the aircon on, and think, i might just head off home, normally i have 10 mins lunch, tuesday i had 45 mins 

today was my little un's pre-school sports day, it started at 10 and was done after a little picnic at just gone 1

of course i went and then stayed home (shock horror, another day off for me)

incase any1 is interested, my little un won 2 of her 3 races (im well chuffed with her)

[AuRavelling79]

1. By wearing a silly hat I bought at an airshow recently - just like a Japenese ww2 soldier's hat with a long baseball cap style peak and material at the sides and back covering ears and neck. In light camouflage colours. £5 - no more headaches since!

2. Ambre Solaire spray-on factor 20 for sun protection - dries clear.

3. Large flask of ice-cold water

4. Go home lunch time (that's dinner time to you chav northerners ), have a shower, sit in front of the portable air conditioner.

5. Use air-con in the car to cool down every couple of hours.

6. And yes - start early where possible.


Monday - full day starting at 6 am finishing at 4pm
Tuesday - 9-1 and 2-4
Weds (today) took one off did invoices fixed cistern, had a beer and planned next walking trip! (all is good!)

[Mike George]

Monday I kept working but took it slow. Tuesday I soldiered on and did 12 cleans but I'm feeling the effects today.

This morning I started at 7.15 and gave up at 9. Spent the rest of the day sitting under a tree.

[AuRavelling79]

Hi Matt, I posted without reading yours - it's great having an old car with air-con - I'm delaying buying a van until after the summer for this very reason!

And well done to your youngster on school races - our youngest did hers last Friday and did well too. I went and watched (on strict conditions I didn't wear my silly hat (see above post!)

[Mike George]

1. By wearing a silly hat I bought at an airshow recently - just like a Japenese ww2 soldier's hat with a long baseball cap style peak and material at the sides and back covering ears and neck. In light camouflage colours. £5 - no more headaches since

I want one!

[windows_chepstow]

Tomorrow I'm baby sitting some commercial work for a local guy.  I reckon I should be to crack it in around 3 hours, starting at 4.30 am and it adds up to a nice little earner.

I'll then go for breakfast in Tescos and after that, graft till I've had enough; probably about midday.

Call me a 'puff', but I'm sick of using a WFP, looking up and getting sweat dribbling into my eyes.  I want to use one of those headbands that were trendy in the 70's, but Wor Lass won't let me.

[matt]

Hi Matt, I posted without reading yours - it's great having an old car with air-con - I'm delaying buying a van until after the summer for this very reason!

And well done to your youngster on school races - our youngest did hers last Friday and did well too. I went and watched (on strict conditions I didn't wear my silly hat (see above post!)

your right, air con in a car is great, im not really even thinking about a van, as the car does me fine and dandy

its nice to be able to spend time with the youngsters at things like sports day, more to life than chasing the pound sign

i was pleasently s.prised today, loads of dads went, we had a dads race and must have been close to 15 dads, times are changing (keep in mind its a small preschool and they only had aprox 50 children attending)

[matt]

Call me a 'puff', but I'm sick of using a WFP, looking up and getting sweat dribbling into my eyes.  I want to use one of those headbands that were trendy in the 70's, but Wor Lass won't let me.

some1 here a few weeks ago said about vasaline above your eyes, i tried it yesterday, it works, but sweat still runs from somewhere and occasionally gets your eyes

[AuRavelling79]

Mike - it's great - try army surplus but you'll be lucky I reckon - I was at an airshow in Duxford a fortnight ago and there was a stall with loads of these hats - and because it has a draw string to fit any size head you can adjust it for fit. (I even used it on a cycle ride to Chepstow and back this past weekend - although one of the group - we'll call him Mr Gaytrouser due to his cycling shorts - Yuk!) wouldn't cycle near me "cuz I looked a right pillock" two hours later and I go past him laughing at his sweaty beetroot coloured face!

[Sir Squeaky]

I've started about 9 as usual, but when I go for lunch at 1.30(ish) I've packed in.
I don't cope with the heat well.
After the first house I was knackered.

Not much of a loss as I do 90% of my work before lunch anyway.
If I worked after I'd only be £10-15 better off.

The upside is that when you're all in coats and hats and gloves in the winter I'll just be wearing a slightly thicker jumper.


Tosh, if you got a rag and tied it around your head you could masquerade as Bruce Lee.
Or was that Loose Brie?

[windows_chepstow]

Tosh, if you got a rag and tied it around your head you could masquerade as Bruce Lee.
Or was that Loose Brie?

Cheers, Roger (Squeaky),

I saw your car in Tintern today, long after I'd finished and thought, 'Good on you for sticking it out in this heat'; and now you've just spoilt it all for me!

Anyway, I think I'd look more like Yoko Ono that Bruce Lee.

[Londoner]

I don't even bother to try. I just phoned the customers and said its too hot to clean windows.
Why put yourself through it?  I don't mind hot but this is hotter than a bears jock strap.
One of the (few) benefits of being self employed is that you have the final say.

[Sir Squeaky]

I saw your car in Tintern today, long after I'd finished and thought, 'Good on you for sticking it out in this heat'; and now you've just spoilt it all for me!

Yes I sweated it in Tintern for longer than I did the last few days.

Purely trying to get a bit of cash in, as I'm off friday, so it's a 4-day week and the last 3 were short days.

If it wasn't for that I'd have given up by 11.30!

[Andrew McCann]

As an excercise I put a thermometer on a sunward facing window sill yesterday for 10 mins. The air temp was 29C. The temp on the thermometer very quickly went up to 45C.  I did the same thing about 2 years ago and it went up to 48C. These arent conditions to really safely work in.

A word about hats. You need to protect the back of your head and neck from the direct sunlight. Malc's one is a good idea but just as good is one of the floppy white hats with the rim all around it. White to reflect the sunlight as much as poss and the rim for all round protection. Us glider pilots may look silly in them but we dont get sunstroke which can hit you very quickly indeed.

Wear high factor suncream.. a good hat.. drink LOADS of air temperature water..  not cold drinks from chiller.. these may quench ur thirst but ur body will actually heat up.

At the 1st sign of a headache.. dizziness.. nausea..  PACK IT IN and get into cool shade ASAP.  If at all possible start early and finish early. Ohh and u may not feel like it but eat properly as well.. little and often is best to keep the blood sugar levels OK.

My guys packed it in at 11 am today.  To work any later/hotter would have been not only daft but could be dangerous as well. We live to earn another day  

Andrew

[Squeegee Clean blackpool]

Its hard going but top off loads a suncream on earn money and get a great tan at the same time what more can you ask for, oh cold beer

[Londoner]

I don't want to be a killjoy but did anyone see yesterday's Daily Mail?
Apparantly, sun cream  - even high factor sunblock is next to useless at stopping the most dangerous forms of UV in sunshine. They are the ones that cause cancer.

The article was written by a leading skin consultant at Mount Vernon Hospital, which specialises in this sort of thing.
His advce, cover up and wear a hat with a brim, like a crcket hat.

[Andrew McCann]

His advce, cover up and wear a hat with a brim, like a crcket hat.

DUH.. yes thats it.. a cricket hat.. thanks Vince 

[matt]

i hate to be picky

BUT

surfers in cali were wearing the hats long before cricketers, though most think of them as cricketers hats