A few millimteres of white stuff and England (not Britain) grinds to a halt.  Even the forecast of snow showers followed by rain drove half my wrinklies into panic buying frozen food.  What a load of wimps we are!

Professional Engineering magazine often publishes responses to 'throw away' questions and the copy that arrived yesterday picked up this exact theme.  Here are three responses that made me think, smile or both...

• The TV coverage of 2ft of snow in Scotland lasted 15 seconds; roofs removed and people crushed in Yorkshire, 15 seconds; Londoners being put out when trains were not running, 3 minutes.
• Terrorists are taking the wrong approach.  All they have to do is build a machine to distribute snow at strategic locations and the entire country is plunged into chaos.
• We have become wusses.  Footballers wear vests.  Town dwellers drive 4x4s.  Councils are paranoid that some individual will choke on a snowflake and sue.  My Mum used to swaddle me in cast-off clothes and send us to school where the heating never worked.  Thank heaven for global warming.

Ah, the good old days when you wore your wellies to school, tried to thaw your fingers (and your milk) on the radiator and built gigantic snowmen at playtime.