To Cambridge for a dinner at my old college. In order to check what I wore last year at this event, I looked up some photos I’d taken at the time (just as well, as I was about to wear the same thing) and was surprised to see how much colder it was last year in mid-November. Then, I’d taken photos of oak leaves transformed into frosty sculptures, and of birds standing on the ice. That was just before the big snow which brought the country to a standstill.

A year later, however, people in Cambridge were out in their shirt-sleeves in intense November sunshine. Lots of people were still punting on the river (see photo). The light was particularly beautiful, and I annoyed everyone by stopping to try and capture one poetical scene after another. By the time we got back to London, however, mist had descended; we emerged from the tube into dark wintry wetness which made the Cambridge sunshine seem very far away.

There has been a lot of talk about another harsh winter, but we have a young friend who works in weather forecasting, and he told us that it is impossible to predict the weather accurately more than a few days ahead. Anything else is pure guesswork.