Winter is officially here.

I can always tell, not because of the date, the clocks going back or any long-celebrated tradition of saying goodbye to the sun.

Nope, my barometer is my health. Every year, without fail, as soon as winter arrives, I cop a sore throat, runny nose, raging temperature and a feeling in my head that can only be compared to someone squashing it between a huge pair of cushions – not exactly painful but definitely suffocating.

As I sit in our office overlooking the River Medway, it’s hard to imagine that a few weeks ago, I was sat (jealously) watching people sail up and down in the sunshine.

Today, I’m watching leaves and large twigs fly past horizontally, and listening to the wind whistle around the building. There’s nobody out on that river today unless they have to be.

While the weather is out of my control, I am merrily popping pills and Vitamin C in the vague hope I can ward off any more illness.

Last year, this blasted cold turned into a chest infection that laid me up for the best part of a fortnight and had me spluttering for nearly two months.

This time, it simply can’t happen. In a couple of weeks, I’m due to be walking up the aisle as a bridesmaid.

Now I did check three times that the bride and groom were sure they wanted a 41-year-old, rather than a three-year-old looking suitably adorable.

Apparently they weren’t after cute, they wanted to be surrounded by their nearest and dearest.

That’s fine, and having been wed twice before, I’ve plenty of knowledge on how to avoid any pitfalls. In high heels and the right frock, I can almost look elegant.

But if I’m coughing and sneezing into my bouquet on the big day, they may just have second thoughts and realise the three-year-old would have been a better option, and the tantrums easier to handle.

Woke up this morning to a flood of tweets and Facebook posts showing concern of a big freeze/siberian snowstorm to hit the UK and naturally any snow that comes with it. This is generating a lot of excitement and for some, concern which I would expect. So I shall try and explain what is happening right now and for the next couple of days to ease any worries, fears caused by the national tabloids.

As I posted last time, for the past week minimum, the infamous forecast data has been on a knife edge as to whether or not UK weather will be influenced from the West or from the East, and has really been a very difficult decision to make. The problem in making such a call stems from a "fight" for territory and who could push into the UK with the bigger influence - the cold from the East or the milder weather from the West.

As of now, for us in Kent (and the South-East generally) we look pretty confident to be influenced by colder temperatures brought in from the East. However, the colder weather currently is not able to push West far enough to affect the UK as there is high pressure to the W/SW. So we currently have a colder, drier setup.  What we need are weather front's to push in from the East (which they are having problems doing = high pressure). So the other alternative is for fronts to push into the cold air from the West... But this is also having trouble as it's high pressure to our NE trying to move in from the East and blocking any fronts. So we are almost in "no mans land" with cold temperatures certainly! A big freeze as hyped by national newspapers? Unlikely.

Until either high pressure gives in we remain at a sort of stalemate, plus the colder weather influence is only really just beginning anyway so it is still difficult which one will win out. It is from Sunday/Monday onwards that the decision is likely to be officially made but until then feel free to follow my Kent-Weather Twitter and Facebook as I shall be posting occasional weather ramblings there.