Snow fell this month earlier than usual. By the first week of the month, over a foot of snow had settled and the farmhouse became inaccessible. It was impossible to get up the steep slope leading to the far end of the valley, even in a four-wheel drive. Meanwhile the whole of Britain became a frozen wilderness, which continued for several weeks. I worried about the birds and Cous Cous but I will have to wait for the snow to melt to see what damage it has caused. The Met Office had predicted a warm winter … is the Gulf Steam leaving these islands! Or is it just a case of total climatic unpredictability. The temperature in Green Valley has dropped to minus 17 this month which is lower than for a decade.