It’s been a wonderful summer (so far) and yesterday we felt happy for some rain. I know it doesn’t feel quite that way the further north you get but down here in the south it has been a summer like never before. Old folk like me were around in 1976 and can remember such brown grass but can anyone remember the intense heat from day to day, week after weak.

And into this has come a new prime minister and a new confidence in Government, even if parliament hasn’t sat much since he arrived! Many things are better. The index of our stocks tells us things are better in the firms we work in

This is an indicator of confidence for some people but there are more subtle indications that we are feeling better about what’s in our back pocket.

Ok – in all – we aren’t that happy – it is a long road to a recovery to the happiness of a couple of decades ago, but you’ve got to hit the bottom sometime and I reckon it was a couple of years ago.

Yes , older folks like me find it harder to shrug off old habits. The FT article I’m quoting from finds no such bounce in sentiment since 2016, ten years of depression (and I use the word in an economic sense). Here’s how Amy Borrett (its author) finished up.

Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said consumers aged 18 to 27 had driven an improvement in expectations for personal finances and spending plans, noting that the less pessimistic outlook had delivered a “honeymoon boost” for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

“[However] maintaining that momentum will depend on whether the government can ease the pressure on household budgets,” she said.

“The Budget will be the acid test of this government’s real commitment to growth.”

On that challenging note I’ll stop,hoping for more good news.