Q: I remember the severe winter of 1963. Is it true that it froze every night for three months? - LD Wilson.

A: I have spoken to the meteorological office and, while they have not been able to confirm the details of your memory with precision, the winter of 1962/1963 was certainly one of the coldest on record. It was, in fact, the coldest winter recorded since the year 1740.

Stormy, changeable weather had characterised much of December 1962 and, in the early part of the month, London had experienced extremely severe fog. On Christmas Eve, heavy snow blizzards arrived in Scotland, reaching as far as southern England by Boxing Day. Many parts of England, including the North-East, lay under a continuous layer of snow until March. However, as you remember, it was not just the snow, but the notably colder temperatures that were particularly severe. According to the Met Office records "air frost" occurred every single night at Durham weather station. Even in many parts of southern England, the average temperatures for this month were below freezing point and the freezing temperatures certainly extended through to March.

Q: HOW did the saying "sick as a parrot" originate. I have an African Grey. I got him when he was six months old and now he is nearing 50. I have never known him be sick, in fact he is a happy little soul. - J O'Connor, Darlington.

A: According to my information, parrots are prone to viral diseases, but other birds and animals get sick, so why sick as a parrot? Cats are often noted for being sick, often coughing up fur balls and this would seem to explain the phrase 'sick as a cat', which was once, apparently, more commonly used than it is today.

A better known variation is 'sick as a dog', which is still in common use and probably the oldest of the 'sick as' phrases, being first recorded in 1705.

One other suggestion for the parrots' association with sickness is that when parrots were first introduced to this country many of them died of shock. However, the phrase became particularly popular in the 1970s and 1980s when it was often associated with the comments of football players and managers. The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang (1996) quotes the use of this phrase as early as 1979. It may be that the famous Monty Python sketch, The Dead Parrot, has helped to make the phrase so popular.

Published: Monday, February 18, 2002

If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or e-mail david.simpson@nne.co.uk