I am Welsh and living in the MidWest of the US. We have just had one of our coldest spells of the winter with temperatures down to minus 26 degrees centigrade. Coming from the UK where two inches of snow closes schools and a prolonged spell of cold weather brings health and safety warnings for the too young and too old, the MidWest carries on regardless. Buses are on the roads, running to time. The snow is cleared from the sidewalks, roads and cleared and the schools and Universities are open. Travelling up to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago I stopped by the Lakeside town of Clear Lake, Iowa. The lake was frozen and you can see a couple of people ice fishing. The temperature was minus 17 degrees centigrade in the daytime!
