Blyton books that mention the heat in the UK?

[pete9012S]

Can you recall books that mention exceptionally hot days in the UK in Enid's books?

This one has always stayed in my mind:

Finniston Farm 1960:



No sign of 'the lower bars' in Eileen's pic!


Or Betty's - Come on ladies, get a grip!

Chapter One
THE FIVE ARE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN
‘Phew!’ said Julian, mopping his wet forehead; ‘What a day! Let’s go and live at the Equator - it would be cool compared to this!’
He stood leaning on his bicycle, out of breath with a long steep ride up a hill.

They leaned their bicycles against a nearby gate and sat down, their backs against the lower bars. Below them spread the Dorset countryside, shimmering in the heat of the day, the distance almost lost in a blue haze. A small breeze came wandering round, and Julian sighed in relief.
‘I’d never have come on this biking trip if I’d guessed it was going to be as hot as this!’ he said. ‘Good thing Anne didn’t come - she’d have given up the first day.’

Poor Mr Durleston trailed behind them, almost knocked out by the heat of the sun.
‘Silly kids,’ said Mr Henning to Junior. ‘Thinking it’s clever to dig just because we’re digging!

Can you recall other mentions of sweltering heat in other books?

[Katharine]

I think one of the Famous Five short stories features a very hot day, but I can't remember which one.

[pete9012S]

Thanks Katharine - I'm sure we can root that one out!

[pete9012S]

Here's another:

“That was a fine breakfast,” said Tom. “I could do with it all over again.”
“I’m going to take off my jersey and skirt,” said Jill. “I’m simply
cooking!”
“So am I,” said Mary. The boys felt hot too, for the sun was now pouring
down fiercely. Tom took off his jersey, but Andy didn’t remove his. He always
kept his on, whatever the weather was.
“This is simply gorgeous,” said Jill, lying on a rug on the deck, feeling the
spray splash on her hot face and arms every now and again. “How I do love to
feel the boat bobbing up and down, up and down all the time!

[Bertie]

The Mystery of the Missing Necklace starts off with Pip and Bets talking about how hot it is.

[pete9012S]

Yes! Many thanks Bertie.

Oh, for a Mystery!
Pip and Bets sat in their garden, in the very coolest place they could find. They had on
sun-suits and nothing else, for the August sun was blazing hot.

[Anita Bensoussane]

The Mystery of the Missing Necklace is the first one that comes to my mind too, followed by The Mystery of the Vanished Prince and Five Go Off in a Caravan.

[Hannah]

I think one of the Famous Five short stories features a very hot day, but I can't remember which one.

That was my first thought too and I've looked it up.

"George's hair is too long" starts with:

‘Let’s go to Windy Cove,’ said Julian one fine summer’s day in August. ‘It’s so hot on Kirrin Beach—Windy Cove will be nice and cool. There’s always a breeze blowing there.’

But I was probably thinking of "A lazy afternoon".

‘It’s hot!’ said Julian, fanning himself with a paper. ‘What are we all going to do this afternoon?’
‘Nothing!’ said Dick at once. ‘I feel as if I’m rapidly melting. It’s even too hot to go swimming.’
‘Let’s have a lazy afternoon for once,’ said George. ‘If anyone suggests a walk or a bike ride in this heat, I’ll scream.’

There's a very hot day in Castle of Adventure before the thunderstorm.

Jack went up and dressed. It was terribly hot, though the sun was behind sulky-looking clouds. He felt out of breath, though he had done nothing at all.
...
So Jack curled up on a rug in the garden outside and slept. It was hot and sultry there. Bill’s men, who had sat playing cards with one another all day long, and had hardly spoken a word, removed their coats, and then their shirts. It was almost too hot to breathe.

[pete9012S]

Some great suggestions. Many thanks.
I feel cooler already!

[Daisy]

The Mystery of the Invisible Thief starts off with Chapter One entitled " One hot summer's day".

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

One of the FF (and I'm too hot and lazy to look up which!) is set in April. The children are camping and Ann is so hot that she throws off her blanket.

Let me assure our overseas friends that NO-ONE camping in England in April would ever be anything other than just about warm enough, if lucky!

Viv

[IceMaiden]

One that sticks with me is Mystery of the Missing Necklace where Mr Goon is in the village shop. The find outers go in and act surprised saying he must love the shop and Goon is longing to reply that he hates the uncomfortably suffocatingly hot place and was longing for cooler weather "snow and ice if possible". Every time it's really warm this immediately springs to mind.

[Susie9598]

There’s a find outers mystery (?? Invisible Thief) where Buster feels far too hot to chase a cat, which is just as well because the cat was far too hot to run away. That always tickled me.

[GloomyGraham]

"SUMMER TERM AT ST CLARES": ‘Oh, Miss Roberts, must we have an oral test on a hot day like this?’ said Alison, whose
brains worked slowly in the hot weather. ‘This hot sun does make me feel so sleepy at the end
of the morning.’

"RING O'BELLS MYSTERY": “Well! If it isn’t Miss Hannah’s visitors!” she said. “Sit you down, and I’ll get you some home-made biscuits. I’m sorry I’ve no milk to offer you, for you must be really thirsty this hot day. Would you like some ice-cold
water out of my well?”

[Moonraker]

I remember many stories where it was too hot to sleep in a tent, and just the stars were needed for a roof. Too many to remember or name, I'm afraid!