... is icummin in.

The last sentence in yesterday's post raises the interesting (some might say vexatious) question of precisely when does summer start and finish. June 24th - known as Midsummer Day - is one of the Quarter Days which were important markers back in feudal times (they were when you had to pay your dues to your landlord), but also harks back to the Celtic tradition that summer starts on May 1st (hence the May Day celebrations) and therefore midsummer falls somewhere around the middle to end of June. The astronomical answer is that summer is the period between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox (June 20th to September 20th this year). And then the Met Office will tell you that summer consists of the whole of the months of June, July and August. So take your pick, but I wish someone would tell the weather that it's summer!