On the way to school the other day my daughter asked me what my favourite season was. Initially I thought this was an easy answer, especially since my heated seats hadn't kicked in and I was feeling distinctly chilly. So I answered: "Summer" thinking of al fresco dining, cocktails on rooftop bars and being able to just walk out of the door without worrying about a coat.
But then I remembered that in Britain the number of summer days in a row we get to do this stuff often numbers single digits so you can't plan a BBQ two weeks in advance because the weather can switch from balmy to barmy in hours. You can literally get four seasons in one day.
Nowadays the UK seems to be getting hotter so the days when the sun deigns to shone temperatures shoot up and we just aren't geared up for it. Very few people have air-con and not many buildings outside offices and shops. The school the children go to has a system where if we get a couple of days of heat over about 25 degrees they emails us to give permission for the students to remove ties and blazers.
I love heat on holiday but its much less fun when you have to work, live in houses designed to stay warm and sleep without air con.
And then there's the additional maintenance summer requires for many women- shaving, toe nail painting, moisturising, sun protection...
And if you want to sit in the garden there's actual gardening to do which is fine if you like that kind of thing but I am both too lazy and too busy to dedicate the time to be weeding, trimming and mowing.
So does that mean I'm actually a winter girl? I do love winter food, Christmas, roaring log fires, comfy jumpers (and other clothes which cover lumps and bumps) and snuggly pyjamas.
I love early nights when it goes dark at teatime, slippers, fireworks and festive lights across the country.
But this morning when my feet were cold, the children complained until the car interior warmed up and I had to lace up boots instead of slipping on flip-flops I would have happily crawled back to the warmth of the duvet to wait out winter. I think I am made for sunshine and sex on the beach (the cocktail!) rather than winter and whiskey sours.
How about you? What's your favourite season?