I woke early because we'd been warned that conditions - already appalling - were going to worsen overnight. They did. I woke at 0700 to find our windows encased in ice. Grabbing our two cocker spaniels, I opened the back door and practically went A over T, as did the dogs. It was sheet ice as far as I could see. Back into the house and several phone calls later, my team were told to stay at home as driving anywhere was clearly too dangerous and accidents would have been the outcome. Turning on the radio, there were endless cold-weather stories, some of them extraordinary, with drivers and train passengers trapped in their cars or on trains, sometimes for hours. Freezing rain was the culprit, and I had to chip my way into my already battered Landrover to go anywhere. Visits to two schools in my constituency were cancelled. Both schools were closed. The forecast predicted that things would warm up and as the day wore on they did. Relief all round.