Something which I find very frustrating is the weather, I don’t mean the actual weather outside although that can be very frustrating at times too but the weather reports on the TV. The way they always put so much emphasis on the sun like that’s the only weather all viewers are wanting. A few months back during the very warm spell I found myself getting so annoyed at the TV for the way they report the weather. So I sent a bit of a rant to the BBC weather department! It went something like this:

Why is the weather always focused on the sun? My daughter has xeroderma pigmentosum and can not be exposed to UV light or she will get more skin cancers, she’s six years old. I watched the weather last night before I went to bed and cried as all the importance is put on how much sun we will have and losing these cooler days to more warm days. My daughter doesn’t go out to play when the sun is hot and bright, she must wear so much protection from the sun that she over heats very quickly. I don’t look forward to long summer days, I’d rather the cooler days remain for as long as possible. All weather broadcast on all channels seem to focus on the sun, but not all of us take pleasure from the sun, a sun which is slowly killing my little girl. The sun maybe a beacon of happiness to many but every now and again think of the few that can’t be exposed to the sun and how your broadcast can leave them feeling.

Well I felt better after pressing send and went of to bed with my fingers crossed that the BBC had got the weather report wrong and tomorrow would bring clouds and maybe if we were lucky even some rain to dampen the hot spell we were having.

I didn’t really give my rant much more thought, I felt better for pressing send and that’s all that mattered to me, I didn’t know if it would even be read by anyone at the BBC.

A few days later and an email popped up in my inbox with the title ‘weather’ I opened it having by then forgotten about the rant I had sent! Phil asked me what I was reading, I replied to him with a little smile as I knew his opinion of my rant.

‘Do you know the email rant I sent to the BBC? Well they’ve replied!’

Phil gave me his look as if to say you are truly crazy and then confirmed his look by replaying with one of his one liners…….. ‘Saying what? That you are crazy and asking you not to email them again?’

The email was actually very positive, they state that they try to take a neutral view but it is helpful to be reminded that different weather means different things for different people. The email ended by asking if Livvy had a favourite cbbc presenter or programme.

A few more emails went back and forth with the end result being some signed postcards which are now on Livvys notice board in her bedroom.

I sent my blog address over too, I thought that if only one weather presenter read one post and that helped to remind them that we don’t all long for hot summer days then I had achieved something. I don’t know if anyone visited my blog or read anything from it but again it made me feel better for getting my point out there, even if no one did read it I did as much as I could to try and get my point across.

I found myself counting how many weeks it is until the Autumn Equinox just this week, I think that’s a sign in itself that I’m done with the summer, we’ve battled through the hot days but are now ready for a break, ready for the start of the easier seasons.

And for those wondering how many weeks it is until the Autumn Equinox it’s just five weeks. We are almost there folks, almost out of the summer. The days are already noticeably shorter, not quite the right side of Livvys bed time but it’s not to far off. I can’t tell you how excited I feel that Autumn is almost here. It’s been a long summer with some ridiculously hot days that at the time felt like there was no end in sight but I can see the end and it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic Autumn. Work on our night garden is starting next week so as Autumn begins and the days get shorter its a perfect time to get our night garden started, we’ve got so many great ideas that we want to include we just can’t wait to get going and spend our first Autumn playing out every night watching the stars and the moon from our hammocks.