Love that sexy snowgirl

Every so often here in Britain it snows. This usually happens in winter. We have a lot of people paid to predict these things, and plenty of others paid to prepare for them, but this always comes as an immense surprise to them all, giving rise to many bad jokes.

In those far chillier spots where I know some of you live, 15 centimetres of snow would be regarded as some kind of pathetic joke. But in the south of Italy, where my partner and her sister come from, the stuff is almost unknown, so they were in ecstasy this morning, throwing snowballs at each other and generally behaving like a pair of fools.

The pictures were shot nearby in Chelsea by Maura - the younger sister - who does our Christmas calendar each year. I adore the snowgirl, all very posh to suit the area. Maura's going through a moody black and white 1940's phase. Bring back silent movies!