Here Comes The Sun (do do do do)

What a beautiful last fews days we've had here in Ulster! The sunshine has been wonderful, and SO warm. Some days the temperature got up to nearly 20C! And I'm not joking.

Good weather does something magical to the people of Northern Ireland. It brings them out on the streets (not a great thing in our recent past) and into the parks. With the first blink of sunshine the usually shy Ulsterman and woman dons shorts and flip flops and heads for the  queue at the nearest overpriced Ice Cream Van.

The sun brings out the best in people. People are  friendlier and keener to chat to complete strangers. Parks and green areas are utilised as they should be. The early evening air carries the pungent smell of hastily incinerated meat products. And everyone's arms, legs and face reek of coconut oil - factor 50 for the red heads amongst us.

If only the last were true! So unused to the sun are we, that with every rise of one degree in temperature there is a equivalent exposure of five inches squared of pasty flesh. And there's where the problem is. With so little sun on offer, especially during our Summer, the temptation is to soak up as many rays as you can before it disappears forever. 

Skin cancer is a problem in Ireland, both North and South, for that very reason. We just don't realise the power of the sun and its potential effect on us here. At the moment there is a great drive towards protecting the environment and respecting Nature, and rightly so. But sometimes we forget that we're part of nature too. We too need protecting. We too need to make sure we're around for our children and grandchildren. We too need to enjoy the sunshine sensibly so that in years to come we can enjoy the sunshine.