Many, many moons ago I bought a fantastic coat from O’Neill. (In this case ‘many moons ago’ means back in 2000 or 2001, I can’t quite remember) It’s a fantastic coat, a big wool duffel coat thing, thick wool, padding, the lot.

The thing is, I hardly ever wear it. It’s so warm, I usually only wear it about once a year. Of course when I need it, I really need it, but it’s not needed that often.

This year though, I’ve already worn it twice – the second time being last night while walking Hound round the fields. Incredibly bloody chilly, what with the wind and the snow just starting to come down. And the O’Neill coat was fantastic, I stayed warm and dry. OK, I looked like Kenny from South Park, but who the chuff cares, I was warm.

And really, that’s all that matters.