The temperature last night fell to -14 in Eaglescliffe - as cold as Moscow.  No more significant snow fell and so the gritting of the roads seemed to work.  I don't know if it's because people know more this winter about how the rock salt works and how the council prioritises things but I've had far fewer complaints than last winter.  In fact I've had a number of compliments and expressions of thanks to the crews who are working round the clock.
The greenhouse indicated just how wise we were to have brought in the last of the chilli harvest last week.  Now safely deseeded and sliced they sit in the freezer waiting to be used.
The weather took its toll on one of our primary schools overnight.  Junction Farm school roof partly collapsed, leading to the closure of the school and then the closure of 8 others with the same roof construction as a precaution.  Engineers will be working all weekend and into Monday and Tuesday if necessary to ensure that they're all checked thoroughly so that we can be qutie sure the schools are safe for the children and the staff to continue working in them.  Parents are asked to check the council website or the individual school websites to see the up to date situation.