IT is 9am on March 3rd 2018. I am trapped in my house. The car won't get up either of the two exit roads, which are impassable with either snow or black ice and at 81, but very fit, I can't even walk from my front door, up the slope to the road. Even my dog can't cope with the black shiny ice. There is so little grip and on looking back, I don't remember it being this bad ever before. Yes, we had frozen snow, but not this endless shiny black ice on top. Oh, for the good old days of deep good quality 'snow ball' snow. This 2018 modern stuff is totally useless.

DOUGLAS MILLS

Fraser Road, Poole