Snowballs the least of Eastleigh's hazards
On the News Channel at 10.35am this morning I was talking about politics, as I do, on the corner of Leigh Road, Eastleigh, when someone threw a snowball at me.
I say threw. He barely placed it on my arm, bless him.
He could have whacked it in my ear as my own kids have often done, and had I carried on broadcasting then it would have been something.
Over years of being shouted at by drunks, pushed by football fans and glared at by politicians I've realised it's generally best to plough on.
Despite the thick coat I knew I'd been snowballed, but you never know exactly what viewers have seen, or not seen.
So I tried to concentrate on UKIP's chances of getting people to vote who normally stay at home, Labour's call for local housing for local people, and the loyal Conservative and Lib Dem camps in Eastleigh, a key seat in our region and for the fortunes of would-be prime ministers in May.
After I pulled out my earpiece, that was what I chatted about with producer/cameraman Tim. Was there enough local analysis? Did it carry to a wider audience?
Some locals stopped to chat. About politics - how the new MP was doing in Parliament - did people still want a protest vote? One even said she had missed the discussions they'd had during the by-election.
But that wasn't what the world of social media was interested in now. Oh no. It was all about that snowball.
"He carried on talking despite being snowballed.. Didn't flinch.. Under attack.. "
C'mon guys. This is Eastleigh, not Syria.
On Vine the looping recording of my struggle to keep talking as the snowball crunched on my coat was quite amusing, but then friends started sending me links to online articles, in the Evening Standard and The Independent.
BBC Publicity rang asking if I minded pictures being released to the Press Association.
The Mirror website has now launched a poll asking readers to vote Yes or No on the Question "Could you keep your cool"?
Two radio interviews on it are probably enough now. I've managed to work in a bit more politics, tried to steer the story around to the things that people were telling me in Eastleigh about overdevelopment, the need for better NHS services, and money to mend some of the potholes from the ice and snow.
But it's clear most people would rather talk about a TV reporter made to look silly mid-broadcast.
Which is fine. My first tweet this morning was of the snow. I look forward to It'll Be Alright on the Night.
And I really don't think it will encourage more ice-related incidents on working reporters - don't forget your face is on the recording, and social media eats itself - in the comments section of Facebook one suspect for the snowball throwing has already been dobbed in by his mates.