This is Sun Awareness Week.

Not that we have had a lot of it to be aware of, just recently, but it is the start of summer, and the week aims to raise the awareness of skin cancer and the dangers of over exposure to the sun and sunbeds.

People often resort to a sunbed before going abroad on holiday. No one wants to slip into their swimsuit and stand out as a white blob on the beach in Magaluf.

“Just arrived, then?”

“How did you know?”

“Your cozzy has got its Primark label hanging out the back.”

After all, everyone would prefer to get a head start on a tan before they go.

My downfall was getting a head start with a borrowed tanning lamp before a weekend away.

It was winter and the idea was to give my face a quick blast so that I would have a healthy glow. I have the sort of body that tans easily so thought I could ignore the instructions and went for a long blast of ultra violet radiation.

The result made me so noticeable I had to take care walking down the street. Cars kept stopping because they thought my head was a Belisha beacon. I have never used lamps or a sunbed ever since.

You can tell summer is on its way because the shops are selling barbecues and those open sided gazebos to put them under when its raining. And I guarantee, you light a barbecue and there will be a good chance of rain.

Not that this puts off enthusiasts like my son-in-law Ronan. Not only does he have a gazebo, he has a patio heater as well, which to my mind begs the question: why not cook inside where its dry and warm?

His Donegal farmhouse has great views of the Bluestack Mountains and his venison burgers are great but it can get a bit chilly and windy.

The last barbecue I endured there I was huddled within two fleeces and anchored to the ground with guy ropes.

I encountered the height of barbecue madness in America, where 80% of all households are said to have a BBQ grill, which 50% use at least once or twice a week during the summer.

When it started raining heavily, our host simply lifted his gas fired barbecue from the back garden, walked through French windows, deposited it in the house and continued grilling steaks. Next to the kitchen stove.

Like the sun, barbecues also have inherent dangers. Undercooked meat and germs spread from raw meat onto food ready to eat can cause an upset stomach. Not to mention the Lambrusco. And not many people know this, but those tasty charred bits can be cancerous.

The Food Standards Agency says: “The safest option is to cook food indoors using your oven. You can then put the cooked food outside on the barbecue for flavour.”

Which seems to defeat the object.

I mean, a barbecue has to involve at least three women organising it and preparing bread and salads and one bloke with his belly out getting an alcohol induced headache in the sun, with a bottle of Stella in one hand and tongs in the other saying: “Who wants a sausage?”

That, of course, is the fun of the occasion and long may it continue. But be safe.