“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain”

In a somewhat surprising and unprecedented move, the sun has decided to grace us with its presence these past few days, promised to do so for the rest of the weekend and there is even the exciting possibility of an encore in the early part of next week. Shocked and delighted by this turn of events, an almighty 'Hurrah!' has gone up from the British people who have flocked into the sunshine like dieters to a buffet.

It's been a hard winter, a winter of bitter winds, dark days, buffeting rain and even prolonged bouts of snow. Yes my friends, we have officially braved the coldest December in 100 years. We ploughed our ways through feet (well inches...) of snow. We fought for bread at local shops as supply decreased; an action termed 'panic buying', which I misinterpreted and found myself purchasing Justin Bieber's album just in case I'd misjudged him (I hadn't). We closed schools, universities and anywhere else that decided it was fed up with its clientelle and that a thin layer of fallen ice particles was a reasonable excuse to take a holiday, only to find they couldn't go anywhere anyway. It's been tough, it really has.

But look how richly we are rewarded for our patience! Look to the blue sky, the high whisps of cloud and the golden finger of sunshine filling every dark corner and tell me that it wasn't worth the wait! The parks, fields and gardens of the land have been filled with people enjoying the delicious warmth. Most wear less, some wear more (notably Goths who can pass off slowly cooking themselves as a form of self-harm), beers are passed round, ice creams drip, barbecues are lit and people who would otherwise avoid all forms of sport find themselves tossing a frisbee or wielding a cricket bat, putting themselves and those around them at risk. And the smiles! Everyone (save those Goths of course) seems to shrug off all their grumbles and grudges and take delight in the loveliness of the day!

I am no nationalist, but on days like these it is impossible not to love the British people. Whilst foreigners scorn our country for it's unpredictable weather and tendency to rain rather than shine, I think this is one of the best things about living here. Yes it's gloomy sometimes. On those days when rain dribbles incessantly down the window panes, you can't help but think that God is having a laugh at our expense. Where the inuits famously have twelve main words for snow and many variations (including 'nootlin' meaning 'snow that doesn't stick') I can personally think of dozens of words and expressions we use for rain, my favourite being 'Mizzle' which is a truncation of 'mist' and 'drizzle', deliberately reminiscent of 'miserable'. But the pay-off for all that is the joy that only the British can feel as the sun pokes it head around the cloud and turns the grey into gold.

Where other nations, bathed in sunshine throughout the year, spend their afternoons indoors escaping the sun's piercing rays, the British will bask like lizards until their pale, freckly skin is as red as the flesh under it, earning us the nickname in Spain 'Giri gambas' or 'pink prawns'. And where Australia, the homeland of the barbecue, must tire of this outdoor cooking, only the British will light up the coals at the slightest hint of sunshine and refuse to extinguish it should the weather turn, resulting in grim-faced, sodden men huddled under umbrellas, determined to eat a charred burger if it kills them.

So as you enjoy the sunshine of the next few days, remember the cold and wet that preceded it, without which this glorious weather could never be so uplifting.

Now where's the sun cream.