This winter isn't going to be much fun. Cold, gloomy skies and economic misery is enough to make the cheeriest of us come down with a dose of SAD. What we need right now is hope... so start looking forward to 2 April because Barack Obama is coming to London for the next G20 summit.
That's right! The sun will come out, flowers will bloom and small woodland animals will gather at the entrance to Downing Street to catch a glimpse of the man who's brought a smile to the faces of so many Americans. Last seen here in July, it will be Obama's first visit to the UK after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States and – though we haven't managed a peek at his diary – we reckon there's a good chance it will be his first foreign visit anywhere as President.
Gordon Brown announced the meeting of world leaders during yesterday's Prime Minister's Questions and we imagine Obama will get a warmer reception from Londoners than his predecessor in 2003, when anti-Bush protests closed down parts of the city. Whether we'll get an opportunity to take to the streets and hail the man in person or whether the politicians will be hunkered down trying to sort out the global financial mess remains to be seen. We – and the rest of the G20 - should probably just be grateful the summit is being held in the capital at all. Apparently Manchester and Birmingham were on the short-list, as well as that renowned centre of international glamour, Watford.
By Rachel Holdsworth
Image by Barack Obama himself under the Creative Commons Attribution licence.