Of course the title refers to the great British subject, the weather.
Yes, an impartial observer could be forgiven for thinking that here in Britain the weather - at any time of the year - seems to take us by surprise; and the newspapers are well aware of the fact and love to exploit it with headlines such as 'Phew what a scorcher!' and 'The Big Freeze.' etc.
Well quelle surprise! It's January and temperatures have dropped, concern has been expressed that old people may suffer - fair enough - but in truth it's unlikely to be much less than -4 degrees. There's nothing new in low temperatures in January, so why the panic?
Even worse are the general pathetic attitudes that seem to prevail here: a year or two ago buses were not running because the roads were a bit icy; really - this in a city where buses ran throughout the second world war...
For six years I lived in France at an altitude of 800 metres - about 2600 feet; it was normal in the winter for the temperature to drop to -15 degrees and I recall a week when the highest temperature was -5, this accompanied by up to two feet of snow. Nobody was surprised: it was the winter; trains and buses ran, the farmers kept the roads clear. I ask again, why is the winter a surprise here?
And in today's Daily Telegraph it is reported that 29% of parents will ban their children from playing outside in the cold weather as it is seen as 'too dangerous.'
As pathetic as the photograph I once saw of children wearing safety goggles whilst playing conkers.
I genuinely fear for the future.
Until the next time.
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