It’s a grey day today here in my home town of Lewes, UK.  It might not have the radiant colours of the Mediterranean but I rather like all those muted tones.

If you have to have a Northern European urban winter then Lewes has a lot going for it. Being a market town set in Sussex’s South Downs, there always a dash of green to liven things up.

We have a lot of hills here in Lewes – at first it’s feels a bit hard-core walking up the High Street but you get used to it quickly and, in no time, Lewesians just take steep climbs in their stride.

Lewes Castle (11th Century, Norman) sits on its very own hill, just round the corner from my home, and its flint stone walls add a lot of grey to our townscape.

Somehow, the subtle shifts of colour work for me as I hurry past on a wintery morning.

I’m very lucky that my walk home takes me under this splendid, and yes, grey, 12th Century archway.

History is all around us here in this little grey town and, yes, this path is uphill too.

Flintstones go well with rain clouds and leafless trees – it’s like living in my own monochrome photograph where there’s just a hint of brown to remind us that grey is a colour too.

If you find all this grey getting you down, then let’s be grateful for the good old British telephone box and, of course, our red pillar boxes, too. Now, red doesn’t get any redder than these most British examples of street furniture.

There’s red too in my street and, on a day like today, maybe there’s nothing better than going to the very pleasant Pleasant Stores for a cup of tea or coffee and a good chat with friends.

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It’s been a wonderful Summer this year here in Lewes, UK. After a lot of disappointingly dull years, the sun just shone here for months. This was last Thursday: the sky was blue, the temperature rose to over  30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and the flag was fluttering nonchalantly on Lewes Castle.

The good weather even inspired the owner of my neighbourhood store to get bright a yellow repaint.

My small courtyard garden soaked up the heat and helped raise the temperature even higher.

It’s wonderful when September is like this in England. It feels like High Summer but flaunts Autumn’s fruitfulness. Perfect.

My roses like it too and they are on there way back for a glorious second flush. Here’s Darcey Bussel looking elegant against my flint wall. I bought this one from David Austin Roses, my favourite supplier:  http://www.davidaustinroses.com/english/SlipGate.asp

It was not just that it was too good to miss but I just had to work outside knowing, meteorologists are such kill-joys, that this was going to be the last day of this great Summer weather. I hoped that they were going to be proved wrong but, alas…..

…this was Lewes on Friday. Rain has its uses, I guess, but English Summer, I’m missing you already. You have to promise to come back next year.

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When the sun has been shining, Lewes has been putting on the style for anyone who cares to look us here in Britain during this wildly enjoyable Olympic festival. Actually the old Union Jack looked nice up there against the blue sky and so did the fine old flint stone castle.

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