"WHAT a pity... no snow during the night, so QE will be open tomorrow and we will not be able to go sledging".
For many young people it was a great week and one that does not happen very often in Devon.
However others were housebound and some shivered in inadequately heated homes. Others slipped on icy roads. It was risky to use cars. Some walked to the shops in wellies with shopping bags. Neighbours called on each other.
Some may say this cold weather disproves theories of global warming but unpredictable weather patterns are one aspect of the changes we are seeing and the overall trend is still upwards.
Being a Transition Town commits us to seek to become more sustainable and resilient as a local community and the recent bad weather shows how important that is.
If the cold weather had continued, the supermarkets might have had difficulty in bringing in supplies.
When the fuel protests happened 10 years ago, at one point we only had three days of food left. So, sourcing from local producers is crucial if we are to break our dependence on long supply chains which are so vulnerable to disruption.
Similarly, we are dangerously dependent on imported energy such as natural gas and so need to find ways of producing more energy locally, as well as having better insulated homes.
Some drivers took to using trains or buses.
It would be great if this change of habit continued since cars are a major source of carbon emissions.
Whatever the outcome of the climate change conference in Copenhagen, there is still a great deal we can do locally to become a more resilient community.
Gerald Conyngham
Chair of Crediton
Climate Action
by email