Crikey it's hot here in England's garden today and it's expected to get hotter. The BBC is forecasting five days of blistering weather here in Essex rising to 31 degrees C on Tuesday. If I was still living in Manchester I'd be experiencing rain today – it's like a different world.

Thankfully my working conditions are much better than they were a year ago. Back then we lived in West Finchley in a flat above a shop. It got ridiculously hot in there, especially as I worked from a pretty small room that heated up rather quickly.

Thankfully I'm working in a much larger room now and our new flat boasts some better airflow thanks to having balcony doors we can open. It makes a huge difference. As does my new monitor – which I got for health reasons yet can now enjoy a payoff as it doesn't pump out heat like my CRT did.

My beloved L is out in the heat today, she's gone for a day trip to her old Uni stomping grounds in Wolverhampton – enjoying a day trip before she started her new permanent job on Monday. I'm just about coping here thanks to an electric fan, but if it gets any hotter I'm going to have to find a way of working via a cold shower.

It's my Irish DNA you see, it's really not designed for hot weather at all. I certainly struggled in Los Angeles last month and if it wasn't for the proliferation of air conditioning there I'd have been in real trouble. I did have plans to go out and shop today but having been out in almost blindingly hot conditions at 10am this morning I think I'll wait a while.