Ian Wannabe - Sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations, stick with it though, the feeling of accomplishment you'll have when you finally get your QXC done will be well worth the wait.
As High Wing Drifter says though, being charged for a no-show certainly does sound a bit harsh, especially as it was due to circumstances beyond your control. Reading between the lines it also sounds to me as though you're not entirely happy with the school you're learning with, maye this episode might be the catalyst for change...? Let's face it, we all fly because we want to and because we enjoy it, so even when "just" training, for gods sake make it as enjoyable as you can. If that means biting the bullet and moving schools, do it.
Anyway, moving on to your questions. Winter weather can be fabulous; two weeks ago I took my girlfriend up for her first go in the PA28. Beautiful clear skies, from 6000 feet overhead Cambridgeshire I could see Bury St Edmunds to the east, Peterborough to the north, and Northampton to the west. 60 mile wide field of view. No clouds. No bumps. Smooth as a baby's proverbial. It was beautiful. I wanted to stay up there all day.
But conversely, I look out of my window today and it's murky, grey, overcast. The trees a mile away are half hidden in the yuk. You get the picture...
I guess living where you do, you'll probably get worse weather than I do over here in the flat east. Unfortunately that's geography and mother nature playing games with you. You just have to smile, breathe deeply, and book yourself another slot. Trust me, it'll come good eventually, and it will be well worth it. Just remember the old adage: If we can't take a joke, we shouldn't have joined...
All the best.
BM