In the good old days, when the sun came out in Great Britain, we headed for the beach, or the pub, or we sat in the garden, eating BBQ’d food and drank beer or wine, (or Pimm’s if you want to be very British) whilst taking in some rays.

The sun made us all very happy. But not anymore. It’s forbidden.

As temperatures appeared to rise around the globe last week, there were grim warnings from my home countries government in the UK. “Stay indoors between 11am and 4pm,” they wailed, “or you will all die. Die, I tell you, die!!”

Later they told them to check on our neighbors, because it’s certain a vicious smog would lodge in their throats and choke them all to death.

What used to be called “a lovely sunny day” is now seen as an Armageddon or Doomsday and could potentially be the end of mankind as we know it. 

The police told my fellow countrymen that in no uncertain circumstances should they jump into open air swimming pools, the sea, or rivers and when hundreds ignored this half-baked nonsense and turned up for a dip at a newly opened water park, it was immediately closed due to overcrowding of just 23 people.

I spoke to my parents, and they, like others had decided to head to the pub instead, but “Ohhhh Nooooo” screamed the authorities, “they mustn't do that”.

“Do not drink beer when the sun is shining or you will obviously self-combust”.

To the beach then? Nope not allowed. It’s too dangerous and if you drive, you will create more carbon dioxide.

Health and Safety Nuts

People taken in by this codswallop will have decided to be sustainable and use the train instead. And that went well for them, because the Health and Safety Cops decided that in such merciless heat, the tracks might buckle, or the overhead power lines might sag.

As a result, some trains were forced to crawl along at a giddy speed of 17mph. Many simply stopped moving altogether. It took a friend of mine 14 hours to get from London to Edinburgh. You could probably have walked it in half the time.

This extreme heat that hit the UK last week was 94F. Imagine if you will, a staggering 94F.

Some people may accept this, but I don’t. I have been in Greece and Spain in the past year, where the temperature hit 119F and the country didn’t stop. On a trip to Las Vegas two years ago, the mercury hit a whopping 117F, I believe. There were trains still running, the city still operated, and people were still allowed to drink beer or jump in to a swimming pool, or in places such as California, dip their toes in the ocean.

Are we saying that the steel the UK use to make our rail infrastructure is more prone to melting than the steel they use in the USA, Spain, Italy or France? I don’t think so.

What I think is that in less hysterical countries, they don’t have so many panicky health and safety nuts who are paid to spend all day worrying about what might happen. And then having the power to act on their self-induced fears. Seriously.

The whole country stops working because someone with a low-grade qualification in physics reckons that steel will melt at 94F. Whereas the actual melting point of most steel, in case you’re interested, is over 1,200 Centigrade, not Fahrenheit but Centigrade. And whilst it was hot in the UK last week, it wasn’t that hot.

The fact is they have approximately 6 warm and sunny days in Britain every 3 to 4 years depending on whether it is a leap year, then it is just 2. And most of my friends and family back home would appreciate it if the killjoys would simply be quiet and let them enjoy it for once.

However, I do understand for example allowing your staff extra breaks because it is hot. Particularly if they are doing a strenuous job or working in kitchens.

Last week, we had a team cleaning in Calabasas, the temperature that day hit 108F. That is pretty warm even by the Conejo Valley’s standard but remarkably chilly if you are just up the road in Woodland Hills for example.

My wife being the motherly type, packed our teams off with extra water bottles and cool bags. We called our clients that day to say we may be running a little late because it’s hot and we want them to ensure they are hydrated and don’t over do it. One of our clients was really taken aback by this. She thought this was great and even gave them extra refreshments when they arrived.

One of our team members explained how the last company she worked for would never have done this and they would be banging the drum to ask why they weren’t finished in time.

We take a different philosophy. We believe in keeping our team happy and well rested. We try not to work weekends as we believe the maids should get to spend time with their families. We understand it can be a tiring job and our clients appreciate this, after all, that is why they hired us.

You’ve Got Maids of Thousand Oaks, Malibu & Camarillo offers a full service weekly, bi-weekly or monthly maid service. We also offer 52 Point Spring Cleans, Move in or Move Out Cleans, Pre-Party or After Party Cleans.

Our Maids are all background checked and drug screened. They all have to pass a comprehensive training program with a 90% pass mark.

We are licensed, bonded and insured and we offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

We cover the whole of the Conejo Valley, Malibu and Camarillo.

Call us at 805-917-6243 or email us at thousandoaks@youvegotmaids.com