It’s extraordinary the difference in the office over the past couple of months. In the last week of August my diary was empty and in the first week of September it was packed with appointments and actions. Bang, the (amazing) summer is over and it’s “back to school” for boys and girls of all ages. 

It makes me wonder if we should not adopt the continental system of holidaying for all of August and then focusing during the September to Christmas work period. 

In fairness we don’t have to look to the continent for this model. In the Glasgow Fair during the last two weeks of July all factories, yards and businesses used to shut down and everyone went “doon the watter” to the Ayrshire coast or, of course, to Blackpool. Very organised, typically Glaswegian.

Glasgow has nailed the introduction of contemporary, high-quality public realm into its historic city – it puts the much richer London to shame