I was so excited for the snow which didn't happen | Rick Jackson

The forecast showed snow would begin on Sunday evening at 6pm.

My boss made sure I was fully prepared, the thermos flask was ready!

I placed a cover over the windscreen to protect it from the deluge I hoped would fall during the night.

That evening, I kept looking out of the window like an over excited nine-year old. I did the same just before I got into bed. I took longer than usual for me to drop off to sleep.

At 4.45am, my radio plays very quietly in the background. Unusually, I’m awake and spring out of bed and into the shower.

By 5am I’m dressed. I open the front door, nothing. No rain, not even a frost. In fact there was no reason to put anything over the windscreen at all. It was just cold and windy. My heart sank.

My trust in the BBC Weather forecast has now gone.

The icons were showing heavy snow, the text read dry and cloudy?

Which is it?

It was the same on Tuesday. The 6am forecast showed heavy snow showers for Tuesday afternoon.

An 8am website refresh showed sunshine.

Make your minds up!

Why am I so disappointed by the lack of snow?

Look at the trouble it brings. Roads blocked, people stuck in their cars.

I remember one year rescuing Sarah from her car somewhere in Locks Heath when she was unable to move. We almost came to a cropper on the off-slip at junction 11 of the M27. Scary stuff.

So why does the boy come out in me?

Well, the excitement of finding a hill to sledge down, the thrill of a snowball fight or building a snowman with the kids.

Then there is the beautiful sight of snow itself, the grey sky and the white ground and rooftops.

The crunch of snow under your feet and the almost sound-proof, deaf atmosphere it creates where sound simply doesn’t travel.

Yes, for a few special days of the year, snow makes winter a joy.

Cruises sailing from our city would benefit both parties

Last week, the largest non-naval ship to enter Portsmouth Harbour arrived virtually unnoticed.

The 76,000 tonne Aurora paid a visit to check her suitability with the berths.

This is a great thing for the city if P&O Cruises felt capacity was an issue at Southampton and sailed their adults-only ships from our city.

A bonus for P&O too, as its passengers would be greeted by sights of the Royal Navy and historic buildings.

Sadly, like all cruise ships, Aurora looked down at heel.

Almost a year at anchor, these white beauties are now rust streaked. But why not stay in port? Too expensive.

Then again, many are losing anchors in storms and they are £100,000 a time to replace!

It’s funny how music tastes evolve throughout your life

Guilty Pleasures has fast become my favourite part of the breakfast show. Listeners choosing songs they normally wouldn’t admit to liking!

We’ve had all sorts from the 1960s through to the 2000s but recently, younger listeners have been surprising us.

There was a 16-year-old girl who no longer loves Ariana Grande because of her new love of Kate Bush! The then 17-year-old Miley Cyrus fan who heard Stevie Nicks sing Edge of Seventeen and now can no longer listen to Miley as all she hears is her trying to be the Fleetwood Mac singer.

It’s wonderful to see that the next generation are still discovering and falling in love with the classics, whether we think they are a ‘guilty pleasure’ or not.