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Alastair Stewart sheds light on weather warnings, disposable BBQs and summer festivals

The drought and heatwave continue to make life especially difficult for those of us with dementia and for those of us who are animal lovers.

One irritation is the declaration of red and amber warnings.

They seldom, if ever, say clearly what those warnings mean for people with dementia.

For us, it means taking extra care to keep out of the heat and remain hydrated.

But equally, the declaration of a drought means using less water.

We are allowed to keep the pond topped up, which avoids the ducks and their offspring getting stuck in the muddy areas created by evaporation.

Equally, I find taking the dogs for a walk oppressive in this heat, but the daily walk is part of my prescribed blood pressure treatment.

The first thing they want and need when we return is a drink.

As I have often said, there is no physical pain with dementia, but depression can be a chronic disability.

That is worth remembering if you live with, or care for, someone with dementia.

Living on a farm, we have a contract with a pest control company.

She also found a wasp's nest in the barn, which she destroyed.

They are a burden to the horses and the family, so it had to go.

We also keep bird baths topped up, which are a magnet for wild birds and butterflies.

It is all part of my daily routine, which I do not begrudge because I love seeing this wildlife flock for a liquid top-up.

Our meadows are full of daisies, so pollinators flock to us.

We also have lots of buddleia, which butterflies and bees love. It all helps my mood and well-being.

I had an email from Alzheimer's Research asking if I would take part in a survey for Baroness Casey, the dementia czar.

My main point will be the total lack of psychiatric support.

The burden of knowing that you have become dependent on others, together with the limits on what you can do, can drive your spirits down.

Help with mental well-being is a clear priority for people with dementia and should be a priority for the NHS.

A dreaded annual event is currently unfolding, the BoomTown Festival just outside Winchester.

The noise is dreadful, sleep-disrupting and, to my ears, hardly music.

Attendees, fuelled by alcohol and illegal substances, wander around, especially late at night, and can be a hazard to themselves and other road users.

They also leave such a mess that the risk of wildfires is high.

Part of the New Forest has now been ablaze for days, so the risk is real and serious.

I remember a forest fire from when I worked for Southern ITV.

Parts of the Forest and its wildlife are yet to fully recover decades later.

Andy Burnham has announced a temporary ban on disposable BBQ kits

Our sons love a BBQ and held one recently for friends and family to celebrate their triumph in the world of horses.

Oscar, one of Fred's horses, qualified for the prestigious Horse of the Year Show.

It was a great celebration, and they used a proper, large BBQ trolley.

There was no litter and no risk of fire because it was fully extinguished at the end.

Nor is it difficult to understand the risk of leaving hot aluminium trays and coals in parched scrubland or grassland.

I also remember the drought during the Harold Wilson years and the appointment of Dennis Howell as drought minister.

I wondered about this when Burnham held a drought Cobra meeting.

I thought of disco queen Angela Rayner and bopper Chris Bryant.

I had my regular consultation with my GP, who said he had seen me recently on television in an item about the Falklands War, which I recall vividly.

So does Sally, as she had just given birth to Alexander, our firstborn.