Passions: Sociable and very agreeable, I can raise a glass to a daytime drink

Weekends are made for a hangover-free daytime drink with family or friends

A bit of light daytime drinking is an occasional treat to be savoured. Picture: Getty

There is a delicious pleasure in the occasional indulgence of a little light day drinking.

Most of us leave it to when we are on holiday – a cocktail by the pool – or the festive season, when a Buck’s Fizz first thing can be referred to as an eye-opener, but a little snifter during daylight hours is welcome at any time of year.

The best occasions are unplanned. We have friends who live nearby who, if we time it right on a dog walk and make our presence on the lane outside their house obvious, will invite us in for a very heavy-handed G&T to help us on our way.

The dog gets a bit restless while we are imbibing, but the totter home is much more jovial with a warming spirit inside.

My parents live nearby and operate on a wholly different timetable to our household, which can have pre-prandial advantages too. While the rest of my family are enjoying a lie-in on a Sunday, I pop round to the Aged Ps’. On their return from church, they put the roast in the oven and open the sherry.

After two glasses of Amontillado, I head back to my own kitchen, where my lot, none the wiser, are cooking up breakfast. Somehow the washing up and chaos of adult children arguing over who has the last sausage becomes a mere bagatelle.

This year has also seen several of my friends reaching bus pass age, which offers so many opportunities for day drinking. Their latest wizard scheme involves an outing to the vintners in town by public transport to stock up their wine cellars.

The merchant offers tastings, along with snacks, which can take a surprising amount of time to get through.

I’m not quite of the age yet to get my transport for free, but no matter. Emerging blinking into the sunshine, slightly tipsy and lugging bottles of something full-bodied is a wonderful way to stock up on provisions. There’s always the chance of a sing-song on the bus on the way back too.

Best of all, day drinking, when timed correctly, has no downsides.

You get back home, have a snooze on the sofa, maybe grab a bite from the fridge before heading to bed for the night and waking up the next day with no ill effects whatsoever. Not something that can be said for a night on the sauce.

Kirsty McLuckie is Property Editor of The Scotsman