Winter is back to hound us with a vengeance - Fiona Duff

I don’t mind the cold too much – it’s great fun seeing how many clothes you can actually pile on in order to keep warm and still be able to actually move.

I may start to wear a hat when watching television while lazing on the sofa because that sort of activity doesn’t produce much energy.

Of course, I am not too keen on the icy pavements, basically I worry that if I fall over I may not actually be able to get back up again.

Luckily for us our neighbour seems to have a stash of road salt which he scatters on the steps and area outside the front door. What a nice chap to having living so close.

I’m not too bothered about driving on the roads – I recently inherited my mother’s car. If you saw how many dents and scratches are already on it you would have an idea why she was told she can no longer sit in the driving seat.

As it is, another bump or two would hardly make a difference. It’s anyone else driving that should watch out for me.

There will be no hunkering down under a blanket 24/7 because we have a dog and he doesn’t care what the weather is like.

Sun, rain, sleet or snow – he just wants to run around the park preferably chasing a tennis ball. And somehow I doubt anyone will ever develop an app for that sort of thing.

The vets’ rule of thumb is: ‘if it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them’.

You should therefore stick to shorter walks or walks closer to home when it’s snowing so that you and your dog can get back to the heat of your home quickly should temperatures drop further, or if they become too cold.

If you are walking your dog in a park, try and stick to the path as much as possible to prevent it from rolling in the snow and getting cold and wet.

There are times when I think it would be nice to have a big roaring fire in front of me. Chucking a couple of logs on one every so often is rather satisfying.

As it is, I’d better be off to search for my super thermal socks and a pair of fingerless gloves so I can still type at this time tomorrow.