Summer celebrations

This year 21 June marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere when the earth is at its maximum tilt towards the sun and days are at their longest.

We call it ‘midsummer’ in Britain and while that is chronologically correct – the sun will not be as high again in the sky for another 12 months – our damp maritime climate tends to make this date feel like the beginning of summer rather than its midpoint.

However, from late June onwards Britain