I wish I had thought to douse my clothes with soap before I left the house this morning — I would have saved a great deal of time and energy, and the drenching walk could have been laughed off as “efficient”. Instead, I’m sitting at my desk, barefoot, with dripping wet trousers, hoping my papers dry out without dropping ink all over my desk.

On mornings like these, I’m grateful that I keep a kettle in the office for real, brewed tea, and am so glad to have had just enough milk left for one cuppa. I’m also very happy that I keep “forgetting” to take my winter shawl home; it’s a comforting blankie today.

The rain is still falling in sheets outside my window, and the staff arriving later than I am are even wetter and more miserable-seeming. Except for the new British assistant who, cheerful as a robin, is chirping away about the “swim” reminding him of home.

What’s your trick for finding smiles on a rainy day?