Lia and I flew into Stanstead airport at 17.30 yesterday to be greeted by 3 inches of snow and a temperature of -1. Just five hours earlier we had been complaining about how hot the taxi was on Tenerife as we hunted for a surf shop to buy some foot straps for the boat on the way to the airport. The display in the taxi was reading 24 degrees.

I had only shorts to wear on the journey as I had sent all but my rowing clothes home with my family a week and a half ago figuring that the next stop for me was Antigua via rowing boat. It was with some relief that on leaving the plane that it had connected to one of those covered walkways so was spared the usual trek across the tarmac you get with budget airlines (thank Thompson Airlines).

A slightly surreal experience being at home in the lead up to Christmas when I had expected to be a third of the way across the Atlantic, especially knowing that I will be back in the Canary Islands within the week and still have an ocean to row!

With family visiting I was clearing the snow off my trusty truck this morning and it was then off to the supermarket for those last minute items (oh the unexpected joys of Christmas).

Mick Birchall, snow, uk