Today's letter from the Editor
Today's Matrices

i Editor's Letter: 50 shades of grey skies

 

Regular readers, and those who have recently switched from the Daily Express, may notice we don't talk about the weather much. That's because most of us here at i have typical urban workers' attitudes on the subject: you can't fix it; it doesn't usually have too much impact on our working day; and it's a safe bet in the UK that we will experience most seasons' weather within any given month, sometimes any given day.

Obviously, this year has been different. And I think we (the collective "we" of our greater society) are a bit different as a result. I can't speak for those poor people who have been flooded out, the farmers fretting over their crops, worried retailers, or disappointed organisers of countless events that have been washed out, it's the rest of us, I'm referring to - the majority of us for whom bad weather is not do or die, but mostly just an inconvenience and a bore.

I detect a collective sagginess brought on by sogginess. The 50 shades of grey skies, the frizz-inducing damp, the mud, the trips to shops that never happened and fun summer clothes, furniture, food and drink that simply never got bought, have dragged us down. We wait, that's what we do - not for the foam to form atop our Guinness, but for that damned Jet Stream to move a little north.

Well, good news, after a bit more rain this weekend, it will. Next week there is even a day in the forecast with a whole smiley sun to itself. Imagine. And then, perhaps the sun will come out for the Olympics, and we will all bask in a warm glow of national pride as we watch our brilliant athletes excel in our safe and fantastic Olympic stadium. We can dream.

Career Services

Day In a Page

Johnny Marr talks relationships and reunions

He's worked with Modest Mouse, the Pet Shop Boys and Beck, to name a few, and recently released his first solo album. So why, wonders Johnny Marr, do people still hark on about The Smiths?
After the flood: From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands

In pictures: After the flood

From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands
Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals

Death becomes her: A very modern mortician

Ever considered baking a loved one's remains into a cake or putting their ashes in fireworks? If so, talk to Caitlin Doughty, champion of the alternative death industry.
How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

At first it seemed clever and cute. Then the 'Keep Calm' motif went mad, spawning endless offshoots.
The man who built Brum: A lament for the demise of John Madin's Brutalist Birmingham

John Madin: The man who built Brum

The architect's buildings were supposed to leave an indelible, futuristic mark on his beloved hometown but they are now being inexorably torn down.
School of chop: Learning the art of butchery at the Ginger Pig

School of chop: Learning the art of butchery

How do you butcher a lamb? Or make Mexican street food in a British kitchen? Christopher Hirst finds out.
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats