This Morning could not believe it yesterday when weatherman Mr. Mark McEwen said the forecast for Bermuda was a "chilly 46 degrees''.

An anxious call even came into The Royal Gazette from Hartford, Connecticut, checking that Bermuda hadn't suddenly moved north.

Mr. McEwen, a frequent visitor to the Island, could not be contacted. But CBS spokeswoman Ms Liz Josephson, struggling with a cold in weather just above freezing, regretted any offence caused.

"Mark loves Bermuda,'' she said. "While it's rare, it's possible that he was given inaccurate information from the people that do his research.

"If we did provide inaccurate information, we apologise.'' Bermudians not satisfied with the apology can take comfort in the fact that the CBS team will soon be in Norway for the Winter Olympics, where it's even colder.

*** Unkind folk may quip the joke is now on him.

But Royal Gazette cartoonist Peter Woolcock believes suddenly looking like the Elephant Man has its drawbacks.

Nursing a severely swollen face, Mr. Woolcock has no doubt who to blame for his sudden and most unwelcome predicament -- Christie, his pet cat.

For it was Christie -- named after the wife of rocker Billy Joel -- who caused him to fall flat on his face.

"I was reading the newspaper after lunch when I heard this catfight,'' he explains.

"As I went out to have a look I tripped and fell on the crazy paving. I'm pretty messed up at present -- certainly not a pretty sight.'' Mr. Woolcock's woes are untimely, to say the least.

For today and tomorrow he will display his talent at the Hamilton Princess in another field, as an actor in A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters''.

"I think it should be given an X-rating because of the way I look!'' he laughed.

*** One might have thought Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari could have given Davos a miss.

After all, with the slight bother of an armed uprising his hands seemed pretty full.

Surely rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland -- however appealing -- could have been scratched from his diary? But no, temptation got the better of him.

The Royal Gazette got wind of his trip when a private jet -- from Switzerland -- made an uexpected stop at Bermuda's airport.

"It is President Salinas. His plane has come in for refuelling,'' an airline spokesman told us.

All of which makes one wonder what the President would have thought of Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan's decision to miss Davos this year.

After all, Sir John's excuse -- the Independence carry-on and opening of Parliament -- didn't quite have the ring of a rebellion.

*** Pssst...heard the latest Independence joke doing the rounds? Question: "Who will be the air traffic controller when Bermuda goes Independent?'' Answer: "Johnny Barnes.'' (NOTE: Must wave hands excitedly about for maximum effect).