Our thoughts remain with Australian flood victims

The continuing stories of the floods in Australia are an ongoing nightmare. The latest news is that residents of the south-eastern town of Kerang have been told to leave their homes, as the river continues to rise.

“You should ensure you have left your property immediately,” a State Emergency Service (SES) message told the 2,500 townspeople by text at 1920 GMT on Tuesday.

The day before a boy drowned in Victoria, and further north in Queensland more than 30 people have died as victims of the floods.

A 13-year-old boy became a national hero, but sadly died, when he insisted that rescue forces save his younger brother first, after the family car had been swept along by the floodwater.

The weather forecast says that there is more rain to come.

Our hearts and thoughts go out to Australia where the floods are said to be the country’s most expensive natural disaster.

It was the coldest December on record

We've arrived at the New Year and I've just heard that December was the coldest since records began in 1910 and the coldest month since February 1986. The average temperature last month was a bracing -1 C for the whole UK. No doubt some areas had an average a lot colder than that.

It makes the current 5 C in the south east seem positively balmy, although the wind-chill is making it seem colder.

Nevertheless, on we go into January with the days getting longer and promise of brighter, warmer things to come.

The weather is always a huge talking point in the UK, and it's probably the same in Australia right now, with the city of Rockhampton and the state of Queensland suffering from flooding. Let's hope it doesn't get any worse before it starts to get better.