Anyone working with the general public underestimates the weather at their peril. A sunny day sends sales of ice-cream sky high. A cloud-burst will have customers running to the shoe-shop for brightly coloured rain boots. Snow apparently drives sales of knitting yarn and a heatwave can entice customers to air-conditioned stores they would never usually frequent.

Libraries experience this effect too and any extreme weather I encounter on my daily cycle to work is often a warning of what sort of day I will have. This is Ireland so it’s always possible to experience four seasons in one day and I might wear rain-gear to cycle in and yet find myself shoving it into my bike-basket for a sunny ride home.

This morning gave no hint of what we’d be in for during my morning commute. A light win...

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