I'm really not sure about last summer being a complete slog? Maybe in the South & South East especially, but for most of us North of Birmingham, the first half of summer was dull, cool & often wet. Even after the heatwave, things only returned to "normal" summer conditions, with a mix of weather, although dry did dominate. Just go and take a look at the regional threads for North West England or The Midlands for June and early July.