EXPERTS now say that this winter could be the coldest of the century.

Metcheck.com says the first cold snap will arrive on Monday, with regular cold fronts sweeping across the country until Christmas.

Andrew Bond, the senior forecaster for the group, said: "From what we are predicting, Britain could see its coldest winter of the century so far.

"It is time to ditch the wellies for woollies. This winter will be a lot more cold and less wet than previous winters. The cold snap next week is nature giving us a taste of what is to come in the next few months."

I read this report and got up to get out my thermal underwear. The coldest of the century. Wow. That must be pretty cold. Then I remembered that we are only in the fourth year of the century and every winter so far has been meek and mild.

The PA WeatherCentre was a bit more honest about the skills involved in predicting the weather.

Daniel Adamson, senior meteorologist for the PA WeatherCentre, said: "We can't predict more than 10 days ahead with any accuracy, and there is nothing to suggest that it's going to be exceptionally cold at all."

Given the way the weekend weather went, when rain fell on the days it wasn't supposed to and the sun shone when it was supposed to be raining, I'm now relying on looking out of the window as my weather forecast. If there are drops of rain running down the glass then I'll expect to get wet when I go outside and wear a suitable coat.

On Monday we drove to Stanpit Marsh with the intention of having a nice walk. The sun was shining as we left and it continued to shine all the way until Burton. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, the dark clouds whooshed across the sky and the threat of rain became very real.

Luckily our toddler daughter had fallen asleep and given my wife the perfect excuse to stay in the car and read the newspaper.

I pulled on my coat and hat and headed out into the field. It was like watching Scott head for the Pole.

Thirty minutes later I knew I'd had enough and I rushed back to the car to save my wife the bother of getting cold. I didn't need to worry, she hadn't moved and Emily was still asleep in the back seat.

So we headed for the pet shop to buy a fish to fill the tank that we bought earlier in the week. It's a momentous event in the life of a nearly-three year old. First pet, first taste of responsibility.

The lady in the pet shop asked how long we'd had the fish tank.

A few days, I said.

"Well," she said, "come back when it's been in a week and bring a sample of water so we can test if it's suitable."

Hmm. Difficult to explain to an eager daughter that she can't have a fish. But she seemed happy enough and the tank is still waiting for its new inhabitants to arrive. It didn't used to be so difficult getting a goldfish. You just hooked a duck at a fair and took the little blighter home in a plastic bag. No need for a home visit from the pet shop before you could take it away.

No doubt when they do arrive it will be lovely weather for fish. Or for ducks.