The weather today is sunny, but not very warm.

I have always found August a melancholy month in England. The fresh limey-green of the spring is long gone, and the flowers are on the turn, past their very best. Even the weeds are giving up the ghost and dying down.

You are acutely aware that, very soon, Autumn will be upon us. The leaves will then shed, and the cold will appear. One savours every last drop of sunshine at this time of year.

This was not the case when we visited Bermuda in August, 2002. It was humid and extremely hot. It was vibrant and not in decline, like the British summer. A lot of the islanders depart for less sweaty climes. It didn’t matter at all to us, as we were in the water most of the time.

One of the most surreal experiences of my life time, was a visit to the former home of Robert Stigwood, the big music producer in Bermuda. He produced, amongst many other films, Grease (with my favourite Olivia Newton John) and Saturday Night Fever, the disco film. Apparently, the Bee Gees sketched the hits in the film, starring John Travolta, whilst visiting Stigwood in Bermuda. Stigwood instructed them to get to it, and they did. Stayin Alive was born.

Like me, Stigwood was an Aussie who lived in exile, in Britain, but also Bermuda – a tax haven. When he made megabucks with these hits, he bought and restored an incredible Georgian house in Sandy’s parish, Wreck House. It had a topaz bay to the left before you reached the house on the headland. You can find it on the internet.

By a random chance of fate, I went for the day to swim in the bay. A friend was doing some work for the new owner, Bruce Gordon. She thought that Niki and my children would have fun.

We settled on our sun loungers, and finally the family joined us. We had a long swim as it was too hot to do much more. At lunchtime golf carts brought down pizzas.

Geoff settled out in the shallows with Bruce, an Aussie, would you believe it. They had a long chin wag. He later told me that Bruce owned WIN television. This is the very same regional broadcaster based in the Illawarra, Australia, where the Potts family are settled. What a coincidence. He even owned the Scarborough pub up the road, perched on a cliff high above a fantastic beach, Coalcliff. It was our favourite place to swim one Easter holiday, as there were high winds, and it is sheltered.

Every time I drive past the pub or see the WIN logo flashing up for the 6pm news, I think of our swim at Bruce Gordon’s in Bermuda, an Aussie billionaire.