I woke this morning to that dull white glow through the curtains. I knew that meant snow. Well it was no suprise - the warnings had been made regularly on tv for the last couple of days. What felt strange though was the curious lack of rumble. There was no background noise of passing cars, nor was the house shaking as lorries rumbled past.

Walking down to the library, Swindon is deathly quiet. There's hardly any tire tracks in the snow, which is merely a surface covering, albeit a very slippery one. The college car park is virtually empty.

The good news is that heavier snow is expected in the area by mid-day. Russia never invaded during the Cold War, but now they're here with Cold Air. There's a few of them in the library trying to log on like me. Sort of an advance guard. I'll bet they feel right at home.

Warm Glow of the Week

I notice that a steam locomotive has been cleared for service on British mainlines. Thats always an event - I know most people wouldn't admit it for fear of being labelled a trainspotter - but there's a mystique about these victorian engines that you just can't beat. This one is an A1 'Peppercorn' (I'll bet you just wanted to know that). Designed and built in 1948/49, the class was scrapped in the 60's as dieselisation made itself felt. But not this one. After raising three million pounds, a group of enthusiasts have built a brand new one which they've named Tornado. Extraordinary.