According to the weather widget on my iPhone, the ambient temperature this afternoon will rise to 39 deg C (102 deg F). I’ve been to some hot places in my time – Southern Spain, North Africa, India and Egypt, among others – but never thought to encounter heat like this in the UK. Not only is it uncomfortable to be out in the streets and on public transport but it is also rather frightening, at least, I think so.

Many people thought – and I admit that I was one of them – that the effects of climate change would appear gradually and that our generation would be dead and gone by the time life started to become impossible. The current hot spell suggests that we were over-confident and that the world is heading towards disaster faster than we dared to hope.

There are two ways by which I can go to meet Tigger from work. The first is the quick way by taking two tube trains and a 10 minute walk. As well as the walk through hot streets there are two staircases to climb, of 28 and 37 steps respectively. It doesn’t sound much and, for a young person, it isn’t much, but for a gentleman of, shall we say mature, years, it is something I would prefer to avoid, at least in this heat. The second way is to take two buses which deliver me virtually to the door. Apart from the discomfort of the bus rides (the air-conditioning fitted to London buses has negligeable effect in this weather) it is a better way to travel.

Often on the way home we stop off for coffee but during the heatwave we have come straight home to sit or lie in the breeze from our electric fans.

Walking in the street under the baleful glare of the sun, I find myself ever and anon humming the tune of the old burlesque song, Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. How long will it be before London city gents adopt a style of topee and military cut kakhi shorts?