On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two time lapse snow-themed videos...

December 2009 Snow Storm Time Lapse from John Huntington on Vimeo.

And in other news...

Police in the US are investigating a detective who appears to draw his gun during a mass snowball fight on the streets of Washington DC. You can watch a video clip of the incident below and read more about the story here.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

This afternoon it started raining on top of the frozen snow that fell a few days ago. Then it started to sleet until at last it started to snow. This is the view in my street at the moment...


Apparently bookmakers William Hill have slashed the odds of it being a White Christmas, worried that they'll be facing a massive pay-out.

Did you know...?
It can actually get cold enough that it doesn't snow! Because snow is frozen water, if there are not enough water droplets in the air it can't snow - simple as that. As a result, the driest place on Earth isn't in the Sahara Desert or the Arizona Desert. It's actually a place known as the Dry Valleys and it's in Antarctica. The area is completely free of ice and snow, and it never rains there at all! In fact, parts of the Antarctic continent haven't seen any rain for around 2 million years! But Antarctica is also the wettest place in world, due to the fact that 70% of the Earth's water is found there in the form of ice.

For more fascinating facts like these, check out Match Wits with the Kids - available now - as well as What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.

And if you're feeling the cold, why not sit down in front of the fire tonight and enjoy a Snowball? Of the slightly alcoholic variety...

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Snowball Cocktail
2 oz Advocaat
Top up Lemonade
1/2 oz Fresh Lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker / stirrer and pour into an unusually shaped glass. Add Crushed Ice and decorations to create a great speciality drink from an easy to make recipe!

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And while you're sipping your Snowball, why not listen to this ode to the cocktail, celebrating the fact that you can enjoy all your favourite drinks in the same glass?

Ice, ice, baby

Amazing as it may seem, the following are all pictures of ice. They are entirely natural.


You can see more of these incredible images here and here.

The power of water never ceases to amaze me, and that of ice likewise. Check these out to see what I mean.

Babbacombe blizzard

The village of Babbacombe in Devon has been transformed into a picture-postcard winter wonderland after it received a covering of snow.


Looks great, doesn't it?


Accept that it's fake snow that's been sprayed onto a fake village. Yes, this is Babbacome Model Village, a popular Devon tourist attraction.


Visitors can enjoy the snowbound model village from Saturday 5 December 2009 to Sunday 3 January 2010. But what I want to know is, what'll they do if it really snows? There won't be anything to see!

First frost

December is here and with it came the first frost our way. I actually had to get out of the car and spray some de-icer on the windscreen! So much for global warming.

But of course parts of the UK have already seen their first snow, such as here in the Cairngorms.


And there's more to come.

But if you're wondering what the odds are this year of it being a white Christmas in your part of the UK, you can check here.

Meet Angus

He was built in the western Maine town of Bethel ten years ago, and when this photo was taken he was the tallest snowman in the world.

Angus, King of the Mountain, stood 113 feet, 7 inches tall. He weighed 9,000,000 lbs, was made up of 200,000 cubic feet of snow, had 4 ft. wreathes for eyes, his carrot nose was made from 6 ft. of chicken wire & muslin, 6 automobile tires formed his mouth, with another 3 skidder tires for his buttons, he had a 20 ft. fleece hat, a 120 ft. fleece scarf and two 10 ft. trees for arms.


The photo above was taken on 19 February 1999. Angus didn't melt until 10 June 1999.

Did you snow?

Everyone loves a white Christmas but when was the last one you remember? I remember there was a great one down our way back in the Seventies some time.

Did you know...?
For it to officially be a white Christmas - at least according to bookmakers - just one snowflake has to land on the roof of the London Weather Centre within the 24 hours of the 25 December.

However, did you also know...?
Statistically, Britain is just as likely to have a white Easter as it is a white Christmas!

5 December - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

The Met Office has issued the following weather warnings for today.

Friday 5 December - WEATHER WARNING

Widespread ice is likely on roads and pavements across much of Northeast England and Southeast Scotland tonight. Valid until 1000GMT.

Friday 5 December - WEATHER WARNING

Snow falling over Cheshire, Manchester, South and West Yorkshire, and Derbyshire will cause some travel disruption over the next few hours. 10cm may well accumulate over the hill roads. Valid until 0700GMT.

Did you know...?

The chances of there being a white Christmas are just 1 in 10 for England and Wales, and 1 in 6 for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I'd say that, right about now, the chances are looking even better. But then that's global warming for you!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

In honour of this morning's half an hour of snow flurries over West London.