Another Tall Tale for you to read! Hope the weather is good wherever you are.
It’s hot in the Emerald Isle and the madness has begun. Every summer, the entire population prepare for the new season with hope in their hearts. Spring always seems to promise great things and just about everyone stocks up on shorts, T-shirts, flip flops (that’s thongs for anyone in the southern hemisphere) and the really optimistic ones buy sunscreen, factor 30. There’s even a run on barbecues and parasols. And every year, as the summer months go by, hope fades and the weak sun sets on yet another cold, rainy day. Not this year, though. This year is different.
Advice blares from the radio: Keep the curtains closed. Don’t walk the dogs until the cool of the evening. Hydrate. Re-hydrate. Walk slowly. Keep to the shade. Close all the windows. DON’T LET THE HEAT IN!
Day One
Sunshine greets the population. Smiles all around. People nod greetings, wave at neighbors and there’s a skip in every step. Lovely day! What beautiful weather! Don’t you love the blue sky? Ice cream vendors are doing the best business ever. Harvests are gathered, gardens are blooming and the living is easy.
Day Two
Sunshine again. Smiles are a little fainter today. Sleep hasn’t come easy in the night. No cool air to bring the temperatures down. Amazing! Two days in a row! Hasn’t been this hot since 1977! Beaches are full. Cafés are buzzing. Excitement is high as the grass turns yellow.
Day Three
Sunshine again! It’s been three days, three whole days, and Ireland is having a heatwave. Now, for those who don’t know Ireland, this is headline news. Three days. Three whole days. It’s too hot! Can’t sleep! Kids are cranky! Can’t breathe in this heat!
The advice on the radio now is to conserve water, don’t use the hose, don’t turn on the dishwasher unless absolutely necessary. Don’t run a bath! And, most of all, don’t use any electricity ‘cos there’s a shortage! The wind turbines aren’t working ‘cos the wind isn’t blowing. We’re having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave.
Life as we know it has come to a grinding halt. Silence reigns on the streets until dark. Cats and dogs seek out shade. Cows gather under trees. People do the same! Too hot! Even the ice cream vendors are beginning to panic as they run out of stock.
News headlines now shout out about casualties. The heat is the enemy. The sun burns and the pollen affects breathing. Ireland is in the grip of madness. It’s the heat. The beating sun. We can’t cope. We’re not prepared. We didn’t stock up in time. We didn’t expect it to last this long. Three whole days… and another to come tomorrow. Another day of nearly 30 degrees! Yea, just 30 degrees for 4 long days and the gorse fires burn.
Ireland is having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave and the madness has only just begun.
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