Pity there isn’t an anti-freezing blizzard vaccine - Fiona Duff

So, this Easter cold snap we are experiencing, it’s a bit of a shocker isn’t it?

The Observatory on Blackford Hill

There we were on Saturday lounging around, eating ice cream and turning the central heating off. On Tuesday I was on Blackford Hill battling through the snow and a wind that felt it had blown in directly from Siberia.

Well, say friends, that’s living in Scotland for you. It’s easy to be smug when you live in the south of England.

Well, say I, it’s easy to be smug when you have drawers full of thermal undergarments. When I pile those on and stick my fake fur hat on my head I fell as snug as a bug in a rug.

The peak of Blackford Hill

However, there are times when I look out the window, see the sun shining and don’t bother to put on my long johns (I kid you not). Then I forget to grab my hat, and this was the situation on Tuesday when I was up the hill. It is as though the elements are having a little giggle at my expense.

Still, it is nice to know that someone is enjoying themselves because there are an awful lot of people going stir crazy with boredom.

Who would know that going to get a haircut, or indeed popping along for a vaccine would cause so much excitement?

I can’t imagine that there is an outside restaurant table in town available on April 26; there will be people fainting with excitement when presented with a plate of food and a glass of wine somewhere other than their own home.

I hope St John’s Ambulance Service will be standing by with the smelling salts.

Of course, I have missed the boat on every count apart from having my vaccine (just in case you are interested it was at the EICC, very well organised and I felt perfectly fine afterwards).

So I am 80% protected but can’t get a seat in a hairdressers or eaterie for months.

However, I reckon that if this weather carries on I won’t be short of people getting in touch to borrow hats, gloves and thermals.