Is wintry weather a blessing? Snow has fallen across the UK, for many the first of winter. For our ancestors, snow was at once a terrible curse and a source of sublime beauty.
Snow exposes deep longing experts say
Big chill: UK weather warnings this morning follow the first snowfall of winter. Over 200 schools closed yesterday. Parts of Scotland with fall to -12 tonight, three degrees colder than Omsk, the third-largest city in Siberia. Glossary
Goths - A nomadic Germanic people who fought against the Roman Empire in the AD 300s and 400s.
Saxons - A Germanic people who spread through Gaul and Britain.
Slavs - People from eastern and central Europe who speak Slavic languages, for example Polish and Russian.
Western Roman Empire - The western provinces of the roman empire.
Volcanic winter - A reduction in global temperatures caused by volcanic ash blocking the Sun.
Thames - The river that runs through London.
Seductive - Attractive and tempting.
Robert Frost - A 20th Century American poet known for his depictions of rural life.
Beguiling - Enchanting and pleasing, often in a deceptive way.