The burst of summer that came with the start of May has turned into something a bit more standard: sunshine, showers, and a stiff, cool breeze.

The last couple of days have taken me along the South Bank, and also into the odd, quiet backwater of Surrey Docks. If there’s a more dispiriting example of dockland ‘regeneration’ than that at Canada Water, I don’t want to go there. Decathlon and BHS arranged alongside, but largely ignoring, the water; their car park dominating the area; a token sculpture representing the area’s past. The coots looked happy enough, swimming in and out of the reed bed, I suppose.