Just relax and enjoy the possibility of a summer

We’re a nation of optimists, at least when it comes to the weather and the possibility of summer being a scorcher, writes Carol O’Callaghan.

Two weeks ago I had my London family visiting during a three-day spell of sunshine. It prompted the dusting off of my patio table and chairs to sit outside for morning tea and, by night, wrapping up in blankets for wine sipping and star gazing.

Thankfully, the patio set is a combination of metal, synthetic mesh upholstery, and glass on the table surface so neither it nor the chairs had decayed into mould, so the swift wipe of a sudsy cloth made them instantly useable.