It really is Summer

London's endless Summer just keeps on coming. We've had another week of warm, and largely sunny, weather culminating in today's toasty 28°C high. Garry and I strolled up to Belsize Park for a leisurely, late lunch at a new cafe called Chez Bob. We sat by a set of french doors flung open to the street and dined in the refreshing outdoor shade, a chilled white wine in hand.

I later caught the tube into town for a quick haircut (the less said about the growing count of grey hairs the better). On the way home I got off at Camden Town and walked through the markets, along Regent's Canal and through Primrose Hill to home. Everyone was out and about; from punks with their spiky, bright-hued Mohawks to aging Indian women wearing orange gossamer sariis.

Back home our portable air-con unit has been getting a regular workout. With overnight temperatures hovering around 18-20°C we've been running it non-stop in a desperate attempt to keep the house cool enough to sleep in. After several years of little or no use its finally getting another solid workout. Next week cooler temperatures (and even a spot of rain) are expected to prevail as temperatures plunge to a low of 19°C on Tuesday afternoon.

In less than two weeks we'll be enjoying the air-conditioned comfort of a hotel in Vancouver. We're off for two week in Alaska; eight days of cruising and six days on the road touring the state's interior. We bought our cruise tickets more than a year ago at the height of the recession. At the time cruise operators were desperately off-loading cabins at incredible discounts. We secured our cabin for a remarkable 66% off the brochure price.