Sitting in the garden savouring the first cup of tea of the day. It's barely 7am. The sun is already beating down and not a cloud to be seen. It reminds me of idyllic mornings holidaying in the south of France. Bliss!

Cue, ELO and Mr Blue Sky... It's a beautiful new day, hey, hey.

The uncharacteristically solid, azure looks set for the day but I can't help wondering how long before we hear the stereotypical British aversion to sunshine: 'Phew, it's too hot...'

But some like it hot – and I count myself among them. How hot is hot? For me the ideal temperature is when it's warm enough to sit naked in the shade under a tree. Not that I would ever do such a thing.

Some people old enough to remember the drought of 1976 still grumble about it. For me it was magical – 16 consecutive days of over 30C (86F). Okay there was the odd problem – crop failure, heath fires and standpipes. But the great thing was we could plan ahead with confidence, minus the obligatory contingency plans – umbrellas to protect the barbie chef and the like.

In today's heat the only cover required is a parasol. I pose the question of how long before we tire of this kind of sweltering heat. 'Maybe a couple of weeks before Christmas,' comes the not-altogether-serious response. We agree it depends on whether you have proper work to do. Fortunately, I don't have that problem – well not much – these days. But the heat still poses its dilemmas. I should be making several trips to the dump if my clear-out campaign is to continue. But how many more days of uninterrupted sunshine can we expect. Shouldn't we just enjoy it while it lasts? The dump will be there tomorrow, but then so too will the junk. The same applies to the tempting bottle of rosé, a hint of Provence, beckoning from the fridge. This was supposed to be an alcohol-free day but how many more balmy evenings can we look forward to? Such a shame to waste a rare opportunity...

One thing is guaranteed in all this. At the first sign of a mini-heatwave, the media will reach for their cache of clichéd advice on how not to lose your cool in the heat. Essential survival tips... such as submerging your head in a bucket of ice or downing 10 litres of water every hour…and remembering to apply sun cream to the cat. Anyway, by the time you read this, normal service will no doubt be resumed and we'll again be facing the unsettled reality of another lousy summer. But at least we're never lost for something to moan about...