From a Dark Snovember

Oh come on now, this is ridiculous. Until last winter, November was to be found just after the end of summer. I remember writing on this very blog about how, when I was a child, we would always collect lots of autumn leaves for the Guy Fawkes' Night bonfire on November 5th.

But, of recent years, on November 5th most of the leaves were still ON the trees. My mother would still be sitting out having lunch on the patio at the beginning of December and, okay, I know she's a hardy soul and most eighty-six-year-olds don't do that kind of thing - - but look, it wasn't THAT cold, okay?

After the snow of last winter, however, the Great White Icing-Sugar Sprinkler in the Sky (nb this idea was nicked from a tweet from John Coombes, sorry for nicking it, John, but not VERY sorry) has really got it sussed. So now, November 27th, we have a coating of snow all over everything and the car temperature reader has been saying Minus Two Centigrade all day. I suppose it's even colder now but I'm not going out there to check in case my frozen body is found on the path later on and this causes me to miss The X-Factor. (Really, can Wagner last another week? Oh, vote him off, folks, please!)

Global Warming? Where the hell's it gone? Oh, all right then, go on, give me that standard lecture about the difference between short-term weather and long-term climate. I'm not listening, I'm too busy putting on an extra jumper.

But some people are loving it. "I love snow!" says Olli, and Gareth agrees. They belong to a society called Wholly Folk in York, the purpose of which is to gather round a bonfire and sing folk songs. I suspect there may be some Real Ale involved too, and the occasional Aran sweater. Splendid.

Last night they decided to do it without the bonfire. And here they are, singing their hearts out in a blizzard.

There's a reason for this behaviour, and I've worked out what it is. It's because the weather was all wrong when these twentysomethings were growing up. When I were a lass - as they say round here - the winters were cold, and there was lots of snow, and you wrapped up warm and did a lot of sledging and playing out in the snow.

Houses were colder then, and by the time the snow melted, everyone was heartily sick of it and was longing for sunshine and daffodils.

But when Olli and Gareth, and their whole generation, were children, there was hardly ever any snow. I think Olli went sledging twice in his whole childhood.

So they're enjoying it now, and good luck to them. Me, I'm staying in, turning the heating up, and looking forward to Spring.