Wednesday 20 October

Winter has made its first impact of the season, with heavy snow causing havoc on the rural roads of Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland. Several roads are blocked or only passable with care. I remember this day six years ago, when the first fall of snow also happened on October 20th. It was a perishing cold morning in the Isle of Skye (where I was at the time), and I went for a walk in the Cuillin Mountains. More accurately, through the Cuillin Mountains, not over them. The Cuillins (pronounce Coolins) stand 3,300 feet tall from sealevel up and are a very challenging and jagged lot. This picture shows the mountains on 20 October 2004.



The news in the UK is dominated by the so-called spending review, meaning that government spending is being subjected to savage cuts. When I switch to the French news (in English): what do I see but more spending cuts - and demonstrations, blockades of oil refineries and queues at petrol pumps, which have run dry. Well, I am not going to make any partizan statements on this blog, but I just hope that it is all worth it in the long run.