Canalboy

HOn the subject of Hallowe'en, whatever happened to penny for the Guy? Another of our old traditions erased by the insidious influence ot the United States I'm sure. If there had been a Guy Schwartz and he had tried to blow up the White House at some point in the past I'm sure we would be celebrating it still. Trick or treat indeed (sniff).

I remember St Mary's Lane in Upminster had the trees cleared half way, the half of the road that was in Upminster i.e. The London Borough of Havering. Brentwood District Council had left their half uncleared of fallen trees, so there was a considerable amount of chaos as cars tried to turn round half way! So much for Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation

Ah Dead Can Dance....The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove must be my favourite track. What a hauntingly gothic voice Brendan Perry has.

Temp has risen here too to 12.1 degrees, pressure 996.8. Nearing the magical inch of rain for the day, 24 mm.

Here in Upminster Bridge my cheapo pluviometer says 14.5 mm (unless the cat's been at it again). which i would say is about right as it has lashed down most of the time since about 10 am. It's about 10.6 degrees and the strongest gust recorded is 43.4 km/h whcih I think equates to 27 mph in old money. Precipitation has eased in the last half hour or so (though for a short time only I think).

Sounds splendid. My cousin Christine does a mean bar of sloe chocolate. The only bar in Christendon with an abv

28.8C here in Hornchurch and fifty p sized raindrop just started, not enough to retire on yet though. Distinctly threatening skies

Maybe I do need a cold shower. Bromide in the tea?

Currently 27.4 degrees in Hornchurch and I know it was hot last night as I leave a salt outline on the bedquilt rather like round the body of a murder victim!

The only flashes I have seen today are as the result of six retinal detachments, I live in hope of a tempest however

No storms in Upminster Bridge sadly. Almost clear skies and a light SE breeze. And several Scrumpy Jacks.

I went for a long, solitary walk from Broadstairs along the cliffs yesterday towards Joss Bay and North Foreland. Bloody cold. Maxima of 7 degrees in Ramsgate I see, but at least I managed a bottle of Rioja in the Captain Digby. I also avoided decapitation from an errant golfer's Titleist No 5 on the way but have the ball as a momento.

No precipitation here since 6pm, even before then only a few squally rain showers. Almost nothing all day. Just walked back from my local club, dry as a bedouin's sock. 4.6 degrees

Sort of a cross between the local poacher and Heston Blumenthal....Seagull a la air rifle

AS I could throw in a few gastro-enteric garden birds if you like

Upminster Bridge has dropped from 9 degrees at noon down to 4.8 degrees. Nowt coming from the sky at the moment though of any form, except for some more bird sh*te on the bathroom windows. I am going to dismantle next door's bird feeder when they're not looking.

Thanks Mr Pike, good to see that we are singing from the same hymn sheet!

Rubbish to say that the snow would all be gone in one day if it snowed in mid February. To cite extreme but by no means unique examples, in 1963 we had no thaw until March 6 and the sun was no stronger on good ol' Blighty then than it is now. In 1947 it was March 10 before there was any discernible thaw. February was, is, and shall always remain a solid winter month regardless of trends. And in case you still think I speak with a forked tongue, I was standing in a shivering tennis court on Feb 14th 1979 to be told by our headmaster that there was no fuel to heat the school, it was -3 and we were all to be sent home. Try the link below. Quod erat demonstrandum. http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/twoother/twocontent.aspx?type=bg&id=1625

I see the warmists at the BBC have 9C daytime temperatures in the SE for Monday.

We have had more than four hours of steady snow here in Upminster Bridge now, about a pre decimal inch of the stuff on the roofs and hedges although just an icing on the side roads. It is currently -0.2C but humidity high at 94 per cent. Still an occasional pulse of something heavier.

Moderate to heavy snow here in Upminster Bridge for the last hour. Definitely settling too. Temperature has dropped from 0.7C to -0.2C since 6:45.

Regarding the slow demise and tragic death of your snowman willinkent, remember the words in O God, Our Help In Ages Past. "Time, like an ever rolling stream Bears all its sons away." The rest is water.

The Met Office showing absolutely nothing remotely snowlike on Friday, I have checked too

The other film you may possibly mean abruzzi apur is the 1945 horror anthology Dead of Night with Michael Redgrave as the ventriloquially challenged one

I think the film you had in mind was the 1978 production Magic starring Anthony Hopkins