No, but then again we never really knew what the world was like when our great grandparents, grandparents and even our own parents were growing up. Each generation over the past 150 years has seen enormous changes during their lifetimes with improvements on one level and deterioration on others. Isn't that the nature of life as we know it?djm wrote: In a way, I am glad to have been born when I was. At least I have known what the planet was like before it started to die. If I had had children, they would not have known the world as it was when I was young - cleaner with less people, more wildlife, rainforests and coral reefs still pristine, etc. Those who follow will never really know how it used to be, so they probably will never really appreciate what has been lost.
djm
Anyhow, while I don't doubt the world's warming up and human activity causing it I am not sure how the present weather relates to that. It hasn't been as warm in Ireland for at least ten years and last years summer temperatures in Clare never rose above 22 Celsius and only reached that high on a handful of days. So in that sense there's not really an established pattern.
That said, the past few evenings we went out to Spanish Point to float about in the Ocean and it was just lovely (wearing the wetsuit mind you, watertemp here rarely gets over 16 and that only by the end of summer, there's the gulfstream for you). Something I didn't do since last year a dolphin came up to me , headbutted me off the bodyboard I was floating on and took it off to play with. While it was interesting and was hilarious to all who saw it happen, these are big wild animals and it was pretty scary having one pushing you around (she whacked a German tourist into hospital when he refused to submit his camera to her, she apparently liked things to play with).
. Your son will have some good stories to tell someday---"I remember the time my dad and I ......".
). I have my suspicions about Saunton's thermometer exposure. I don't know how strict the Met Office is, but I thought that standard exposure was in a screen four feet above short grass in a level, open site. Saunton always seems to be two or three degrees higher than other sites close by, though I did hear that RAF Chivenor, which is close by, also reported 33° yesterday.