a warm late summer's day, spoilt only by party conference season

It was for the third day running a lovely warm day more suited to mid-summer than a week after the equinox. So much so that our lunchtime expedition to have drinkies to celebrate a colleague's promotion had to abandon our original target and head for a pub with a bigger beer garden to sit in, because everyone else in the city centre had had the same idea about it would be nice to sit outside and drink beer at lunchtime.

It probably didn't help that the city centre population is somewhat swollen owing to an infestation of politicians. The Tories are having their party conference here, and while the extra business is doubtless very nice for the assorted sellers of beer and other comestibles, the rest of us get to pay for it in the form of the temporary security cordon and its accompanying traffic jams. I suppose it could be worse -- a couple of years ago we had a party conference while the gas people were busy digging up Deansgate. That was a seriously impressive traffic jam...