Paper Monitor
11:18 UK time, Thursday, 7 April 2011
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
The sun is out, it's only April and this is the UK. It's time to get EXTREMELY excited if you're running a newspaper. Just like night follows day, unseasonal weather in this country - both good and bad - is followed by pages of pictures and statistics in the papers.
So as you soak up the rays today - which hit 23c (75f) yesterday and look likely to last throughout the weekend, making the papers even more dizzy with excitement - why not play hooray-the-sun-is-out bingo. Pick a paper and see if you can tick off all of the following.
First thing is the global comparisons. This little sunny spell makes parts of the UK hotter than , according to the Daily Mail. The Daily Mirror throws Malta and Athens into the pot, while the Times adds Portugal and North Africa.
Next it's pictures. You'll need a photo of a child eating an ice-cream, young women in bikinis and skipping in the sea, someone in a deckchair and people punting down a river to get a full house. Now the word and phrase section to tick off. Look for baking, scorching, roasting, sun worshippers, mercury, sizzling and "break out the barbecue".
Too easy? Now things get tough. The celebrities-enjoying-the-sun category includes just one person. So if you have Pixie Geldof in her summer dress and red sunglasses in your paper of choice then a big tick for you. Although, she's only pictured in the Daily Star, which Paper Monitor assumes not many people are using to play this game.
And finally, the rain-on-your-parade section. Can you spot the inevitable warning to enjoy the sunshine now, because it's not going to last. The Daily Mail ends it's cor-what-a-sorcher story with predictions of heavy rain, thunderstorms and floods in June. The Express also warns of thunderstorms in June and predicts a washout at Wimbledon.
Did you get a full house? Definitely not if you picked up the Independent. In its usual single-minded way - which is almost as predictable as sunny weather stories - it has completely ignored the good weather. Not an ice-cream or bikini in sight.
The 
