Off Season, On Holiday

Up to 40mm of rain is expected to fall in South Wales on 25 th August. This should come as no surprise to the residents: it has been one of the wettest Augusts in living memory - and last year wasn't much better! There are flood warnings in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as light flooding risks in North Wales.

And - just to remind you again - it is August. This weekend the August Bank Holiday kicks off, and in defiance of the weather, as only the British can, there will be barbecues, trips to the beach, music festivals, camping trips, big walks in the country, parties celebrating the end of summer.

Did summer ever begin? Isn't it easier, especially given the financial pressure making jobs harder and harder to find for recent graduates and the unemployed - and harder to keep for mid-level management positions in particular - to just keep working and pretend summer doesn't exist?

But don't we deserve a break from all this? It is a wonder sometimes that the UK puts up with it. Not that there is anything else that can be done - until someone invents a remote control for the weather which the nation can then grumble and groan over.

Keep out a cheeky eye out for cheap holidays with companies such as Thomas Cook, as we move into the off-season? September and October abroad are quieter and cheaper - often much more pleasant. With one eye on potential foreign climes, keep your chin up and endure what's left of summer. W ho says you can't have fun in the soggy UK? The Edinburgh festival's still on! The south east and west are still holding up - temperatures are highest there. Esnue you take out decent travel insurance over 60 f you visit any EU country.

Whether you missed out earlier or are desperate to leave , now is prime time for snapping up a quick, cheap break - travel companies are ripe with last-minute deals and new offers to entice the prospective traveler. You needn't foray far - in two hours you could be in Spain, catchi ng the sun we missed over here.