We’re on our third heatwave of the year, and this one’s looking extra-long. That means gardeners might be facing browning grass, drying potted plants, and wilting flowers.

Still, though your first instinct might be to spring into action when you see your plants stressed, some gardening tasks are best left ’til after the hot spell. Watering your grass, for instance, might not be necessary, even if it’s browning – and it could go against your area’s current hosepipe rules.

Here are three activities to put on pause for now:

Speaking to Gardening Etc., Chris Bonnett of GardeningExpress.co.uk said that it’s important to “avoid mowing the lawn during extreme heat, as the lawn will be trying to recover from the heat or a potential drought”.

Grass that grows in very hot conditions often struggles to form healthy roots, meaning the added stress of mowing might damage it further.

Additionally, even though it might look unhealthy, even scorched grass has its protective place in your backyard.

It works as a sort of canopy for your lawn, protecting it from the extreme, drying heat of the sun.

When plants’ leaves curl and brown, you might be tempted to fertilise them, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’ page reads.

But a heatwave is probably one of the worst times to do so.

“Your urge may be to whack off the dead parts and give the plant a shot of fertiliser. Hold on!” they said.

“The dead part can protect the living part from further burning. Refrain from fertilizing until temperatures drop below 90 [°F, or 32°C] during the daytime… Fertiliser pushes the plant to grow, stressing the plant even more.”

Aerating soil every two to three years is generally a good idea – it can improve drainage and give roots access to more of those sweet, sweet nutrients.

But experts generally recommend waiting until autumn to do the job.

Luke Newnes, a gardening expert at Hillarys, told Ideal Home: “During a heatwave, your lawn is already working hard just to cope with the stress of high temperatures and dry conditions.

“Creating hundreds of small holes in the soil can increase moisture loss and make it even harder for the grass to recover when it’s already under pressure. Most lawns simply don’t have the energy reserves to bounce back properly in those conditions.”

As if you needed any more reason to hang your gardening gloves up in these punishing temps…

“Wait, why weren’t we invited? There are a thousand people there!” I asked my husband Garret, a well-known music producer in LA.

I scrolled on Instagram as we talked, watching the celebrities roll into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

“I got a text but I thought it was spam,” he told me, sounding defensive.

“WHAT!?” I asked in total disbelief.

I could feel my heart pulsing in my fingertips as I continued to scroll through the barrage of wedding-related posts popping up online.

“Yeah – remember I told you I got a text from her manager? But I didn’t respond to it. It didn’t sound like him.”

“It was probably an assistant!” I scolded him, my frustration growing by the second.

“Oh,” Garret said, seemingly apologetic.

We’ve been married for 32 years and have lived in the same house all of that time, but apparently we occupy two different worlds.

As a psychotherapist with over a decade of experience in marriage and family therapy, I’ve seen my fair share of women who say their husbands don’t understand them. At that moment, I could relate on an entirely new level.

“So let me get this straight: You mean to tell me that we were invited… and you didn’t click on the invite?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I guess I thought someone was trying to hack my address book or something.”

Reeling in frustration, I left the room. My jaw was clenched tight, so I purposefully took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

I thought back to 2012, when my husband worked with Swift on her album, Red. She came to our remote music studio in Topanga, California, and sang The Last Time with Gary Lightbody. My husband said she was the driving force in the room.

Afterward, she had dinner with our family. She was a warm and confident young woman – and a true storyteller. She charmed all of us with her wit and grace.

I walked back into the room, intent on hearing my husband out, but I wasn’t really listening.

“But it’s Taylor Swift!” was all I could manage to say.

“I know,” he said, “but why would you even want to go?”

Because it’s fun and romantic, I thought.

When everything feels so nightmarish and hopeless in America right now, it seems like many of us are looking for something sweet like a fairytale wedding to cheer us up – or at the very least, distract us for a moment.

I’ve never considered myself a die-hard Swiftie, but as a therapist, I understand the impact of young women hearing their experiences play out in her songs.

Taylor sings about love and heartbreak – something most of us can relate to at some point in our lives – but she also sings about things many women often keep hidden (and are encouraged to keep hidden): jealousy, anxiety, body issues, relationship problems, overthinking, and being self-critical.

She is vulnerable and willing to expose pieces of herself that aren’t always pretty. She says things that so many of us have thought but never said out loud.

She’s a complicated icon who has challenged homophobia, donated millions to charities and challenged right-wing politicians. At the same time, she’s been critiqued for her shrewd capitalism, private jet usage and “white victimhood”. And, at the end of the day, she was putting on a spectacle that felt dreamy and optimistic.

“I wanted to go because it would give me a bit of hope,” I told Garret.

“Hope for love! Hope for some good in the world! I don’t know… maybe hope in America at a dark time? And I obviously would have loved to hear the musical guests. I mean… Stevie Nicks was supposed to play!”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, and then he seemed to realise what had really happened: he’d disappointed me. Not on purpose, of course, but the disappointment was still very real.

We were both quiet for a moment.

“Sorry hon… I’m sorry,” he said, adding, “It’s really hot out there – it would’ve been hot.”

I felt myself starting to lose my mind again.

We were invited to the wedding of the decade and we didn’t go because it might be too hot? We didn’t even RSVP “no”. How rude is that? (Sorry Taylor and Travis!)

I couldn’t help but think about how it sometimes seems women carry the emotional baggage in our culture and men often focus more on function.

Research from the University of Texas showed that women are often centred on building bonds, while men are typically concentrated on fixing problems. So, what do I see in this case that he doesn’t? A need at this time in our collective consciousness to concentrate on love (building bonds), milestone stories and hope in this country – a current desert of levity.

So there we were on a hot, smoggy day in LA at an impasse. An hour later Garret brought home my favourite dinner, gave me a hug and kissed me.

And just like that, we were back in our usual flow – together. Julie and John Gottman, world-renowned researchers and psychologists, would call this a repair attempt – a small gesture to de-escalate tension and get back to a strong bond.

As we sat down at the kitchen table to eat, he said, “Sorry again.”

“No worries, honey,” I said.

Our marriage has never been perfect and sometimes we’re surprised that it’s still going. We struggled last year after we became empty nesters and moved from the countryside to the city. It was a tough transition for both of us.

I was recovering from a brain tumour and he was working on the longest and hardest project in his life. We were both on edge. There were many conflicts and late-night arguments about our future, but we always end up in repair.

Thankfully, repair is the heart of our partnership.

After I cooled down, I thought about how our lives are currently filled with much bigger things to worry about than Taylor Swift’s wedding. My mom had just passed. Garret is dealing with an ageing father in Ireland. We’re contemplating another move. And, of course, it feels like the entire world has come undone.

Every day some new terrible thing is happening somewhere. So despite my disappointment and frustration, I forgave him.

A missed wedding will not be what breaks us. We’re stronger than that.

Still, it would’ve been fun to see her dress.

Melissa Garner Lee is a writer and licensed marriage and family therapist based in Los Angeles, California. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, USNews and Newsweek. She is currently working on her first novel, “The Gleaner.” Find more from her on Instagram @themindfulheartla and Substack @slouchingliterary.

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There have been plenty of social media trends that end with “maxxing” thus far – looksmaxxing, sleepmaxxing, jestermaxxing and fibremaxxing, to name a few.

But the latest trend adopting the much-used suffix is certainly one to be wary of – tanmaxxing is, as the name suggests, about achieving the most optimal tan possible.

Skin health experts are understandably worried about the repercussions of this – especially on young skin.

Dermatologist Dr Rachel Nazarian told CBS Mornings that the trend for getting a dramatic tan – whether by using sunbeds or sitting in the midday sun without sunscreen – is “very dangerous”.

She highlighted how lots of these trends are doing the rounds on social media, where misinformation is rife. She’s right – a quick look online and there are videos where people are suggesting getting a tan is safe (spoiler: it isn’t).

Dr Zainab Laftah, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, told HuffPost UK: “The ‘tanmaxxing’ trend is concerning because there is no such thing as a safe tan.”

Basically, a tan is visible evidence of your skin being damaged. Or as Dr Laftah puts it: “A tan is the skin’s response to UV radiation causing DNA damage.”

There are two main risks to teens and young adults hopping on the tanmaxxing trend. The first is an obvious one: skin cancer. Your risk of melanoma – a potentially deadly form of skin cancer – doubles with a history of five or more sunburns, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Sun burn is also the leading cause in most cases of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

As for tanning beds, they emit up to 15 times more UV radiation than the midday sun – and people who start using tanning beds before the age of 35 have a 75% increased risk of developing melanoma, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

The second risk is more of a cosmetic one, but it’s one that Dr Nazarian flagged in the hopes it will deter people from jumping on the trend: sun damage ages you. In fact it can cause wrinkling, loss of skin elasticity, pigmentation, sun spots and redness, according to Yale Medicine.

“It happens when ultraviolet (UV) light hits skin unprotected by sunscreen, causing DNA changes at a cellular level. Because photodamage happens in the deepest layers of the skin – the dermis – it can take years before the damage surfaces and becomes visible,” reads the site.

This is the tricky bit because you can tell kids to wear sun cream until the cows come home, but will they actually do it?

Tanning culture is huge – and the desire to fit in can outweigh the desire to stay safe (we see this time and time again with teens jumping on risky trends).

The key is education, but not in a lecturing way (as that rarely works either). “Conversations about skin health, rather than appearance, can help teenagers develop healthier attitudes towards sun safety,” said Dr Laftah.

The dermatologist urges parents to encourage teens to question social media trends and explain “that influencers often overlook the long-term consequences of UV damage”.

Reinforce practical habits during these informal chats, such as using broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, seeking shade during peak UV hours, and avoiding intentional tanning.

Lastly, offer safer ways to achieve the look. Mary Wu Chang, associate professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at UConn Health, recommended self-tanning lotions and spray tans, for instance.

Dr Laftah agrees: “If teens want a bronzed look, self-tanning products are a much safer alternative to tanning in the sun or using sunbeds.”

We’ve written about dishydrotic eczema, or pompholyx, before at HuffPost UK.

That shows up as tiny, incredibly itchy, usually flesh-coloured bumps on your hands and feet. It should always be investigated if it’s new and/or if you suspect infection.

But what does it mean if you have little white or yellow lumps by your eye?

Sometimes, these can be milia, or “milk spots,” the Cleveland Clinic said.

Interestingly, they can affect up to 50% of newborns, though they can happen in adults too.

Here’s what chartered chemist and founder of SOS Serum Skincare, Bruce Green, said about them:

These “are tiny, white or yellowish bumps that usually appear on the face, most commonly around the eyes or cheeks. They’re formed when keratin (a protein in the skin) becomes trapped beneath the surface,” Green said.

Milia aren’t formed in the same way as spots and whiteheads, which occur when oil and bacteria gather in a clogged pore.

Instead, dead skin cells slowly build up and can’t escape your skin.

Milia are “completely harmless, but can be frustrating cosmetically,” Green continued.

They’re especially common among newborns – hence the nickname “milk spots” – and adults with thicker, drier skin.

“They can also appear after skin trauma, such as burns, or even from using heavy skincare products that clog the surface of the skin. People with sun-damaged skin may also be more prone,” the expert said.

Luckily, Green told us, most milia will resolve on their own over time.

Still, if you want to speed the process up, “regular gentle exfoliation using chemical exfoliants (like AHAs or BHAs) can help them to clear up and to prevent new ones forming,” Green shared.

Retinol can also increase the rate at which your skin cells turnover, which may help.

“It’s important never to pick at milia, as this can damage the skin. For stubborn or long-lasting milia, professional extraction by a dermatologist or trained aesthetician is the safest option,” the expert continued.

To keep them at bay, maintain a good skincare routine, involving a gentle cleanser, hydrating moisturisers, SPF, and up to twice-weekly gentle exfoliation can help.

“If milia persist or you’d like them removed, it’s best to seek professional help from a dermatologist or trained aesthetician. Trying to extract them at home can damage the skin and increase the risk of scarring or infection,” Green ended.

These can also develop around the eye area. They’re cholesterol deposits that develop in the skin around the lower eye area and on the eyelid and typically appear as little, pale yellowish bumps.

They can be a sign you have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic condition that means your liver can’t process cholesterol properly.

Xanthelasmas are harmless in and of themselves, but they’re linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

You can get a genetic test if you think you may have FH.

Singer Bonnie Tyler has died aged 75.

On Thursday morning, a statement was published on her official website, which read: “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for.

“We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

The Total Eclipse Of The Heart singer was rushed to hospital near her home in Faro in May, to undergo emergency intestinal surgery.

On 6 May, the Holding Out For A Hero singer’s team released a statement on Instagram informing fans that Bonnie had “been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery”.

The Welsh-born performer, who turned 75 earlier this year, had been due to tour Europe in 2026 to mark 50 years since the release of her 1976 breakthrough hit Lost In France, which charted across Europe.

A week later, it was confirmed she’d been placed in an induced coma “to aid her recovery”, with her digital team sharing a new statement on her official website last week, following speculation about her condition on social media.

Last month, her spokesperson said she was out of the coma but remained “very unwell and in intensive care”.

The spokesperson thanked fans for their “huge outpouring of love and support” from around the world, adding that Bonnie was aware of it and grateful for the good wishes.

Bonnie – whose legal name is Gaynor Hopkins – first shot to fame in the late 1970s thanks to singles like Lost In France and It’s A Heartache.

In the years that followed, she became known for hits including Holding Out For A Hero, the number one single Total Eclipse Of The Heart and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain?.

Her massive hit Total Eclipse Of The Heart, written by Meatloaf lyricist Jim Steinman, saw Bonnie become the first ever Welsh person to bag a number one spot in the US.

The song was inspired by, and written for a Nosferatu musical originally, with the singer telling The Guardian back in 2023 that she “understood immediately what an incredible song it was”.

She later added: “He told me he had started writing the song for a prospective musical version of Nosferatu years before, but never finished it.

“Around the time we were recording, Meat Loaf had lost his voice, and after it was a hit he always used to say: ‘Dang. That song should have been mine!’ I poured my heart out singing it.”

Over the course of her music career, Bonnie released 18 studio albums, most recently in 2021, and was nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards.

She also represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 with her song Believe In Me, and was awarded an MBE by the late Queen Elizabeth II for her services to music in 2022.

This is a developing story, check back for more updates.