The 2000s started out with lots of celebrations, but it was to become a hard time. There was war overseas, and our troops wer sent first to Iraq and then Afghanistan; there were suicide bombings at home and in many other places. This made everyone edgy, and then house prices fell and prices of fuel and food rose, making it more difficult to make ends meet.

On top of all that, 2008 was the cloudiest 'summer' in Britain since records began!