The Brits love to talk about the weather. That’s because it’s so varied: you sometimes need to pack for all four seasons in a day. The other reason the weather’s such a hot topic is because moaning about the weather is also a national pastime. Colleague of mine who have come over from the States (especially those from California) have often been disappointed at how bad the weather can be here. “Chin Up!” I’ve said – summers in England can be the loveliest you’ll ever experience.

I had one of those English summer days the other day. It was a comfortably hot day and I’d arranged a boozy steak lunch with Duncan and Lee at the Gaucho Grill in Fitzrovia. We had a very pimping white leather booth and between us sank a lot off wine and about 2.5 kilos of excellent Argentinian beef.

The lunch moved on to a lovely summer pint on a sunny street corner in Charlotte Street. As we said our goodbyes in the late afternoon, I was quite sad that the day had to end.

I decided to browse in a shop for a little while before going home. Duncan ran back into the shop, “I’ve just had a pass out! Let’s do something!”.

We decided to hit the road on Boris Bikes. We swooped in on a book signing by Alan Moore and caught a glimpse of the top of his head through the crowds. We headed down to the South Bank through Parliament Square and St. James’ Park and soaked in the hustle and bustle around the South Bank Centre and watched the sun set over Parliament.