Frozen fountain in Beveridge Park

As you can see from this photograph it has been so cold here that everything has frozen up. It has been colder than Norway, Finland and the South Pole.

So we have all been chittering, which is the Scottish word for shivering. You might think it strange when I say that my worst attacks of chittering have always been in the summertime. The reason for this is that when you are wee, you seem to have a thing for paddling in water, and before you know it, you’re up to your neck in it. I’ve noticed that this happens to dogs too.

There’s no sense to it whatsoever because you know that you are either in the North Sea or a loch full of snow melt from the mountains. So it can’t be anything other than freezing and you’re going to end up chittering within about 10 seconds of hitting the water.

Luckily your mum will have come prepared with a chittery-bite. This is something nice for you to eat – a sandwich or a cake or maybe chocolate. Anything for you to get your teeth wrapped around and before long, you will have stopped chittering and your mum has saved you from hypothermia – again.