This morning, while dashing out of the house, I nipped into my office to pick up my laptop bag and saw a fantastic, rosy glow seeping around the room like an aura. I peeked out of the window and saw this glorious sight, actually captured moments later from our bedroom window - easier to get the camera outside the glass.

It certainly was a high moment in weather terms today - it has got progressively gloomier and gloomier all day and by the time I set foot on the M25 to come home from my (new) client's offices, the whole of Southern England had come to a grinding halt because of heavy rain so a journey that should take 40 mins or so stretched out into two hours and lots of misery. I can do without this with all the work ahead of me.

It reminded me of a chat I had with two really nice American guys on the train on Sunday on the way to footie. They were taking their little boys to White Hart Lane for the game and wanted advice on the best route. We got chatting (as you do) and I asked where they were from. The reply? San Diego. I was able to comment reasonably coherently on the fires due only to Dan Chusid's terrifying PBASE galleries and to sympathise.

They told me that there had been a great deal of heavy rain which was helping to put out the fires but the ground was so parched and there was no vegetation to hold the soil together because it had all been burned. They felt that the local people struggled to deal with rain as it's so rare in those parts. It has caused new problems in an already devastated land. How terrible for those already struggling with the loss of their homes and possessions (and in some cases members of their families too). It was a unique insight into the tragedy from the first hand view of those directly affected.

My parting shot....other than telling the boys to enjoy the game and make sure they shouted 'come on you Spurs' .......telling them that we can't deal with rain here either - it rains so much yet every time it does, the trains are delayed and the country is gridlocked. Groan!