It's 20th July. Christmas is upon us...

Rain, rain and more rain. More rain. Even heavier rain. In London's Oxford Street, the famous store, Selfridges, have cleverly fast-forwarded the seasons to introduce yet more exciting shopping opportunities. As we're all trying to dry out from this soggy July suddenly there's a Christmas gift room in the West End. Here you can plan ahead, buy sparkly things, get yards of wrapping paper and imagine that the unseasonable hailstones now falling are pretty winter snowflakes. This is globally-warmed marketing on a brilliant scale. No summer means eradicate Autumn and cut straight to inflated Christmas prices. The "ho-ho-ho-" joy of sweltering bell-ringing Santas wandering up and down Bond Street...can't wait. Equally intriguing...on the day the nation's schools break up for their summer vacation, Clinton Cards, W.H Smith and Tesco's already have "Back-To-School" offers. Are they right? Have they read the weather to such a finite degree, kids will be bribing the janitor with cases of Merlot in order to get back into the warm, dry familiar surroundings of the schoolroom?