You know winter has arrived when...

...it takes ten minutes for your cheeks to warm up once you're on the train.

It was gorgeously crisp and cold this morning. The grass crunched lightly underfoot and the mists of my breath billowed gently up above my head. The pre-dawn sky was a riot of salmon pink, orange and golden yellow against a backdrop of cool, azure blue as the high clouds caught the first rays from the rising sun and reflected them towards the dark earth below.

That short period of time before the sun broke over the horizon held the promise of a perfect winter's day. Since then the clouds have rolled in and it has become just another dull, overcast day, barely even worthy of mention.

Perhaps this morning was a promise of beauty yet to come, a presage of what we can expect later on this week. I hope so. I really do.