So farewell August. Shut the door behind you when you go. No need for a further visit for at least 12 months, longer if you wish to bestow more dismal, heavy, gusty, soggy, damp, pelting stuff all under the misnomer of high-season summer weather.

Bring on back-to-school, Autumn mellow, yellow sunshine. A nip in the air and a crust on the grass. Orange leaves on sturdy trees. Apples, blackberries and harvest festivals. Victoria plums like blushing bums!

A trip into the loft to retrieve all those mothballed winter sweaters has never before filled me with such anticipation, as all the other seasons never seduce with false hope nor delusion. We accept that Winter, Spring, and Autumn will generally be chilly and damp, but a spot of blue sky and perhaps a benign sun then, is a bonus.

Farewell August. You did not even flatter to deceive!