IF you're pining for another weekend of weather like the last, look away now.

Fresh from record-breaking February temperatures, March welcomes us into its fickle bosom with the sort of conditions to make your dog's hair curl.

Preparing to hang out the washing? Don't. Planning a Sunday afternoon beach walk? Think again.

If I were you, I'd reach for the nearest box set, a box of chocolates and maybe even a box of wine.

Don't be fooled by today's blue skies and gentle breeze - our old friend the Atlantic front is racing towards us at a rate of knots.

The aperitif arrives this evening in the form of a band of rain, before clearing to give a serviceable Saturday morning (a brief window of opportunity for washing/dogs/beach).

By tomorrow lunchtime the wet stuff will be with us, accompanied by some rather anti-social winds which could gust beyond 40mph.

The wind eases back by nightfall, resting only briefly before lurching into action again on Sunday morning.

Just as you're sitting down to tackle a lovingly-prepared roast, make sure all your cooking ventilation outlets are closed. There's a storm a-coming.

Winds in excess of 50mph - classed as a strong/severe gale on the Beaufort Scale - will batter our recently sun-kissed peninsula for the remainder of the day.

The rain will be persistent and the blow continues apace into Monday, remaining in excess of 40mph until late in the day.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind all day on Sunday and Monday.

Temperatures, for the record, hold up reasonably well over the weekend (11/12 degrees celcius), before a marked drop on Monday, with highs of just seven or eight.

This time last year we were in the grip of the Beast from the East - giving rise to the notion that March really is four seasons in one month.

It's the magnolias I feel for.