Rich music breathes in summer's every sound,
And in her harmonies of varied greens -
Woods, meadows, hedgerows, cornfields,all around,
                              
       Much beauty intervenes
Filling with harmony the ear and eye,
        While o'er the mingling scenes
         Far spreads the laughing sky.

             from Summer Images by John Clare

Days of warmth and sunshine are scarce in my neck of the woods.  We have a large amount of rain and grey skies, so it's been glorious to wake up to sunshine and roses.  We've had hot weather for around a fortnight and everywhere you look there are flowers, blossoms and green green fronds, which is certainly a tonic.  The North of England is no longer a mass of belching chimneys, dirty smoke grimed buildings or clattering clogs.  We might now be described as vibrant, cosmopolitans with a unique character, peopling our metropolis with  truly contemporary style-  well that's my story anyway!  We've recently been treated on TV to new opening scenes at the start of, 'Coronation Street'. Now we see rooftops glistening with rain, pigeons fly up from chimney-pots and you just catch a glimpse of the famous cobbles and the public-house sign, Rovers Return.  It's only a matter of time before Betty's hotpot is replaced with Braised Goat Ragout and Crayfish Sushie puts Pork Scratchings out of the picture!