The roads, airports and rail links were at a standstill as not only snow but ice made conditions hazardous. Whilst most people managed to make the best of a bad situation in some form or another the killjoys told us how much the snow was costing the currently fragile economy, and that surely we would never be able to recover. (Seriously though, how do they manage to work out how much it has cost as the first flake of snow falls from the sky?!) I myself was unable to get to work- the perils of living on a hill in the countryside!

One thing that did come out was how ill prepared we are as a nation for what the weather throws at us. Every year floods come and destroy homes and businesses near rivers, and getting insurance in such areas has now become prohibitively expensive. As with these last two winters snow and ice can also bring things to a halt. How do we prepare for something as unpredicable as the weather?

This question applies also to gardeners. Areas of heavy rainfall can prepare the garden well in advance, but as gardeners fill their space with moisture loving plants there is always the thought that one year there will be less water around and plants will suffer. The same is true, in reverse, with dry gardens. Cold winters are still harder to work around- did you have enough fuel for your greenhouse heater, or plenty of frost fleece this winter? I know I didn't; despite stocking up in advance I was not expecting such a long period of cold, especially down here in the usually mild south west.

There seems to be a disagreement- have we had an exceptionally cold winter, or have we been enjoying exceptionally mild winters for several years? I am certainly going to be ready for a cold winter next time, and this summer will be spent making lots of home-made mulch, and I will think twice about replacing borderline hardy plants just yet. For now I will just be happy to enjoy the spring flowers as they emerge.