That’s it folks, the meteorological summer ends today and the descent into short days gets under way. Well it already has actually. Did you know that by the end of August we have 1 hour 47 minutes less daylight than on the 1st of the month?

No one will look back in the summer of 2017 with too much fondness as it was wrecked from about the middle of July as a succession of low pressure systems steamed across us, ruining barbecues, cricket matches and summer fetes. The Jet Stream was the culprit, kinking south and denying the Azores High the opportunity to make an impact and settle things down.

However, it wasn’t all bad. There were some steamy periods in June and early July with temperatures in the mid thirties and there was also more sunshine as August progressed, with outstanding weather for the final bank holiday of the summer before it cooled down again yesterday.

It was hot for a while back in June

When it was bad, it was really bad and on successive Saturday’s in July, it rained so incessantly that the daytime temperatures were struggling at as low as 12 centigrade with it feeling distinctly like October or November. That’s a bit harsh, even for the most resilient of Brits.

Still, with a dog, you have to make of it what you will and as ever, I took pictures on every day of the summer season and you will see that whilst some of the photos are a bit grim, there was still plenty of sunshine around if you were prepared to duck the showers.

A dog is not everyones cup of Earl Grey but what I have found is that by having one, it lessens my depression when it is the end of the summer as, with a pair of boots, a decent jacket and a bit of spirit, you can enjoy all the seasons .Whilst we are never like Spain in summer, we are also very rarely like greenland in winter. Trench foot is more likely than frostbite.

So really, it was just another summer of ups and downs. Some will tell you summers never used to be like this but people generally, in a nice way are deluding themselves. You don’t get the tag of ‘green and pleasant land’ courtesy of summers dominated by searing heat.

Britain is, and always has been, a place where barbecues are best organised hours in advance, rather than weeks and months.

I do hope you enjoy the video, I do it for my dear old dad really. He would give up his life savings to do the walks I do but his limbs are giving up on him. So with that in mind, if you are able, get off your arses and do some walking whilst your body still allows you.

The video features every day from the 1st to the 31st of August and is backed by Blur and that song British Gas use.