Rail delays are to be expected over the next few days across this island, as unprepared for the coming heat as for last winters snow, authorities have decided there's a chance rails could buckle if the trains run at their normal speed..Steve Hounsham of Transport 2000 questioned why the rail network could not cope with "what is, after all, a relatively mild climate".
But Caroline Jones, a spokeswoman for the Rail Passengers Council, said Network Rail could not be criticised for such a safety move.. as long as it did its best to inform passengers...
So, say those who sit and smile in the pub, who never have to rely on British Rail, if you're train is slower, or simply isn't running at all, it's likely for your own good...
And the heat has spoiled many a holiday plan as well, with the Portuguese government declaring a 'State of Public Calamity', with fires burning unexpectedly all over the country. Same in France and Germany..
And nearly obscured by all this natural upheaval, is a news release.. in which Downing Street has distanced itself from a report leaked today, indicating the government saw weapons expert Dr David Kelly as a "Walter Mitty" character.
This was a comment on a story in the Independant, which quoted a "senior Whitehall source" saying Dr Kelly had misled the government and BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan over Iraq's weapons programmes.
While Downing Street fumbled between an initial denial and an eventual grudging revelation that indeed a source within the PM's Office had spoken to the newspaper, a 'spokesman' managed to issue a statement to the effect the previouisly mentioned leak was not to be considered an official government position, and that the remarks might be seen as somewhat out of context.
Paul Waugh, the Independent's deputy political editor, said he stood by his story...
The Hutton Inquiry sits again, in a week.. The problem facing Tony when he returns from holiday, is that aspects of this case will have already been tried in the court of public opinion..
'A matter of trust'.. indeed.