IT has been the worst spell of summer weather for decades - or so the weather forecasters keep telling us. "Rain, rain and more rain," they sigh. "More bad news I'm afraid," they announce, while the grim-faced newscasters next to them tut-tut and shake their heads.

As we rush to book last-minute holidays abroad to escape the downpours, we greet each other in the streets with: "Are we ever going to get a summer this year?" Depressing weather conversations are spreading across the country faster than cold winds sweeping in from Siberia.

But perhaps we're just looking at things the wrong way round. For a start, why is rain always considered bad news? We complain enough when we suffer droughts and aren't able to wash our cars or water our gardens as cracks appear in the dry, parched earth, crops shrivel and wilt and reservoirs run dry.

When there isn't a cloud in the sky, we plaster our children in greasy sun-cream and urge them to stay in the shade as much as possible in order to protect them from skin cancer.

Too often we forget that rain can be fun. When I have been caught out running in a shower, the effect of the continuous, rhythmical patter of cold, fresh rain on hot, sweaty skin as I pound my way along the lanes is simply magical. I tingle all over for hours afterwards. And look at how much young children love splashing about in puddles in their wellies. Why don't we just give them brightly-coloured plastic macs and little umbrellas and release them outdoors to enjoy the rain?

We might still look back nostalgically on the long, lazy sunny days we enjoyed during our own school holidays all those years ago. But, if we're honest, don't we also remember day after day spent holed up in caravans reading or playing board games while the rain pounded down?

This wet weather we are experiencing now is actually closer to a typical British summer than we realise. The number of freakish heat waves we have had over recent years, combined with lots of holidays abroad, have distorted our expectations to the point where we are disappointed if we don't get Mediterranean temperatures every July and August now.

So the next time someone says: "Are we going to get a summer this year?" perhaps we should break it to them gently. This is our summer - and we may as well learn to live with, and even enjoy, it.

I think Gene Kelly had the right idea.

MY primary school-aged boys, two of whom are Leeds fans, had never heard of Terry Venables before he was appointed manager of their team this week. But, at 59, they do think he looks a bit like their granddad. I hope he's a big success. Because it's heartening to see that the wisdom of age is still valued, especially in a business so dominated by the vigour and impetuosity of youth.

ONE group of scientists has been telling us that taking extra vitamins has a highly beneficial effect on the behaviour of both prisoners and schoolchildren. Now another group says its research proves vitamin pills are a waste of money. So which one do we swallow?