Viv and I have just returned from a weeks holiday on the shore of Lake Como in North Italy. We found that wonderful warm, sunny summer that our weather experts had promised us. It's a few hundred miles to the south east, is virtually rain free and averages around 28 degrees, in new talk, mid 80's to us older folk, and the warm evenings make sitting out under the stars a real pleasure.
It was Vivs birthday yesterday so my son Mark and Siobhan invited his elder brother Simon, wife Mel and our grand daughter Amelia to stay with them for a couple of nights so that we could all celebrate the birthday with a BBQ and a few bevies, all except yours truly who was the driver. Mark tried to make up for this by depositing a large glass of red in my lap, evidently the breathalyzer doesn't register externally applied alcohol.
You might like to know how the weather conditions compared to the previous evening in Lake Como. Well they didn't really, it drizzled and rained all evening and a sweater and waterproof was required. It didn't really ruin our evening, with true British stoic, we sat out under "cover" and enjoyed ourselves. Would it have been better in Italy? You bet your life it would!