So, after a relatively mild Autumn, the Meteorological Office have (rather too enthusiastically, it seems to me) predicted that the whole of the United Kingdom will be hit by blinding blizzards, ferocious snow storms and 25ft deep drifts from mid-November in our worst winter for five years.

But, as Jimmy Cricket says, “Ladies and gentlemen . . . there’s more!”

It might keep snowing for 120 days, so there’s every chance we’ll all be buried under the white stuff until February.

Jimmy Cricket didn’t say that. The Met Office did.

So, if the milk in your fridge is running low and your bread bin is looking depleted, pre-empt the rush.

The minute you finish reading this newspaper, nip down to your local shop and buy a small brown loaf, a pound of butter, some tea bags and a large carton of semi-skimmed.

If you eke that lot out ‘ve-ry carefully’, they should see you through to the Spring.

I’m making light of it now, but if the weather forecasters’ prediction turns out to be correct, I’ll end up with egg on my face.

Well, only if I remember to buy a dozen free-range beauties before the snowflakes fall, otherwise the yoke will be on me!

It’s a difficult one this.

After we’ve been told really bad weather might be heading our way, which might result in food shortages because supplies might take longer to reach the shops, ideally we should put on a brave face and adopt the legendary British, ‘We can take it’, stiff-upper lip attitude.

Surely we can survive on the tins and packets in our kitchen cupboards for a few months?

And, in the freezer, there’ll be meat, fish and a half-eaten vegetarian curry which was frozen so long ago we can barely remember when we put it in there . . . or why.

Alternatively, wouldn’t it be sensible to buy a few extra tins of beans, soup and mandarin oranges in syrup, just in case?

As much as I love mandarin oranges in syrup, I really don’t know.

But I will buy some candles and matches, because if we have power cuts this winter, I don’t want to watch TV in the dark!

Should snow start falling so thick and fast that businesses in Swansea and surrounding areas grind to a halt before my next column goes to print, may I be the first to wish you a “Merry Christmas!”.