Paper Monitor
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
All those returning to the daily grind after happy holidays spent in the sunshine would be advised not to read today's Times.
Any fresh memories of blissful relaxation are likely to be quickly replaced by a desire to scratch and twitch around. The cause for this uncomfortable reading comes from a report on the rise in the number of bedbugs on trains, buses, planes and coaches. With an enlarged menacing image of the creature itself, it's enough to make any commuter give up their seat and stand, however long the journey.
And if the thought of bedbugs sharing your seat on the train isn't enough to bring you back to real life with a bump, there's more. In a complementary commentary piece, readers are warned of the arrival in the UK of mosquitoes and hornets. Not only that, but there's been an increase in the number of wasps, rats and "monstrous" slugs.
And the reason for this invasion of the insects? It's that notorious scoundrel, whose behaviour has caused such mayhem, screaming headlines and kept conversations around the water cooler alive over the last few months - the wet summer.
But before considering packing the bags for sunnier climes away from nibbling insects and grey days, be aware it's not all bad news. Smiling pictures of Team GB's return from Beijing, medals-a-clinking, are enough to cheer even the most miserable, for one day at least.