Snowed under....(?!)

The United Kingdom defied the Luftwaffe in 1940, kept Napoleon and many others at bay, and was at the centre of an Empire over which the sun would never set. As an island, she has enjoyed a moderate climate at best, and hardly suffers from extreme weather.

How is it then, in face of so much past triumph in adversity, that the people of this nation in February 2009 stand around like sheep because of a little snowfall.

Most of the snow around the country has already melted, but that hasn't deterred most schools from prematurely cancelling lessons and businesses from ceasing trading, and unforgivably, the London buses (pioneers in transport in their heyday) chose not to run.

In days gone by we just mucked in and carried on, but complacency and too much familiarisation with mild winters has left most people taking the easy way out, and others moaning about the bad weather. I personally love the sight of the snow, and how it is such a great leveller at slowing the pace of life down to a more manageable level. The only drawback is that it leads later on to ice, and the slush - which has already materialized from the minor thaw-out this afternoon.

Oh to be in England, now that winter's here...