0912.01 FIRST FROST

The advent calendars are out and I must finally accept the reality of Christmas. The cold frost has arrived and although it hasn't turned the land white (just yet) it was amusing to see motorists scraping their windscreens and pouring boiling water over the cars (surely that's gonna crack the glass?).

I must say that if you wrap up warm it's fantastic weather, much more preferable to the wet we've endured over the previous month.

0906.14 READ ALL ABOUT IT

This week saw torrential rain in Sheffield causing havoc and giving everyone flashbacks to the devastating floods of 2007. Wednesday night and the rain suddenly came down, the shear volume meant that the drains couldn't cope. This lead to flash floods. Luckily the rain subsided and things improved later on.

As a result of all this I found myself (and a colleague) on the front page of the local newspaper the next day.

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I'd like to say well done to all the girls who did the Race for Life today in ais of Cancer Research. In particular my Morticia and Harlz. Morticia did the race knowing the consequences to her physical well being and did really well.

Congratulations to them both and a big thank you to all those who sponsored them both.

0902.09 SNOW SNOW SNOW

Unless you've been on the other side of the world you can't have missed the worst snow falls in 20 years (I can vouch for that as I was around 20 years ago).

Heavy snow on Monday and again on Wednesday (around these parts) practically brought the country to a standstill. "Why did this happen?" a lot of people ask, the news has been filled with Scandinavians telling us how well they cope with the snow. Well to put it simply, we don't get much in the way of snow anymore. We don't have the infrastructure because we don't normally need it.

I think the lemming approach by the great unwashed did more damage to the transport system than the weather did. If it wasn't for drivers rushing out to get home, driving in conditions that they have little or no experience of driving in then perhaps things would have kept moving a little better. How many of the drivers that got stuck actually had a themos, a blanket or even a shovel? Very few I'd guess.

Anyway, the thaw has started (although rumours of more snow persist) and soon life will be back to normal. I've enjoyed the snow and I'd welcome more.

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All the way through the bad weather I've kept on cycling, however, whilst pushing the bike over my icy driveway I slipped and fell, dropping the bike. This I believe did some unforseen damage because whilst riding home from working the derby match on Saturday the rear derailleur snapped off.

So now I'm without my bike. I'm miserable as hell (and will be until it's repaired). This has come on top of the TV blowing up and losing my favourite hat.

0902.03 SNOWMAN II - ICE WARRIOR

Well the promised 'second wave' of snow never materialised up here, instead the snow turned to sleet then froze over leaving the entire area covered in a sheet of ice. Once again crazy motorists insist on trying their luck and driving in horrendous conditions (personally I'd invalidate their insurance, except maybe 3rd party, if they didn't have a bloody good reason to be out on the roads). I heard various 'horror' stories about how it took people over 2 hours to get home last night. I have no sympathy at all. It took me 35 minutes (10 minutes longer than usual) on my bike.

Why not try out a different way of travelling to work. Walk or at least walk to a main road (which are clear in the most part) and catch public transport. Don't worry about being late, your boss will be pleased to see you and that you made an effort to get in at all.

Many schools have closed over the region, my kids' schools haven't though. We have 3 main schools in our village, 2 primary and one secondary. One of the primaries has taken the decision to close, I have to wonder why when the others have opened (I have various issues with this school since this is where my eldest daughter went).

There are two pieces of advice to follow in extreme weather conditions:

1. Don't Panic - the world isn't ending.
2. Don't be a lemming - just because everyone is setting off home, doesn't mean you have to. Wait til it all dies down and then go.

Stay safe out there or better still, hibernate until the spring.

0902.02 WHERE SNOWMAN HAS GONE BEFORE

Last night the snow arrived and what has been called the first wave came during the rest of the day. I love to see the snow, it reminds me of my childhood when winters seemed to last for ages.

Out and about this afternoon the kids were out playing and motorists were panicking. The smell of burning clutches filled the air as cars slipped, slid and sat in traffic. Shops closed early, public transport was cancelled and Meadowhall shopping centre closed. It's amazing how a few inches of the white stuff can bring a country to it's knees.

The roads were clear so I cycled in to work this afternoon. This meant that I had to cycle home in a blizzard. I managed to safely get through both ways. Tomorrow could be a different story, more snow is promised. As I lay here on my settee looking out the window at the world with a blanket of white over it, watching the snow fall, I wonder if I'll wake up tomorrow to chaos. it's been a kind of fun day, wonder what tomorrow will bring.

0901.17 FREEEEEEEEEEZING

This week has been a funny weather week, I can still hear everyone going "it's global warming!". If that's the case, why has it been so bloody cold?

When I say cold, I mean cold for the UK. -11 was the lowest I believe (for the Americans, that's in Centigrade). People complain about the cold but I read about my friends across the pond who are practically skating to work every day and not whinging about it, I guess it's the British condition.

Luckily I've not had any nasty encounters with the ice and I've managed (so far, touch wood) to stay on 2 wheels and both feet. I have to say that I'm not a fan of frost or ice, I'd rather have snow, snow is fun and causes chaos within minutes of falling.

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Changing the subject entirely; has anyone seen the new PG Tips ad? Genius and an excellent tribute the the Morecambe & Wise breakfast/stripper sketch.

If you haven't seen the PG ad, click here, and for those young enough not to remember the original - see below.