All Change

Well there has been a massive change in the weather since the start of the week with temperatures plummeting and the rain, that we hadn't seen in ages falling hard on the ground and bouncing off the surfaces of the road. Something we are going to have to get use to and we move faster and faster into winter and the short days and long nights.

But despite that there have been some amazing skies to go with the overall grey of the days that have been dogging us for the last three days. Above are just a few of the sights I have seen as I when I have been going to work.

The top picture is Monday's sunrise and although the day was grey and wet there was just enough clear sky on the horizon that the sun managed to find its way through lighting up the grey sky and giving the most lovely shades of yellows and red below. The next two pictures were taken today within minutes of each other but in different directions. The middle picture shows a passing heavy shower and a rainbow that formed as the sun was setting, while the bottom picture shows the sun setting in the opposite direction that caused the rainbow and the orange sky as the rain fell.

Even as we approach winter there is plenty to see if you take time to look, something that isn't easy in our busy world, but it is worth it.

Amazing Month

It has been a amazing month weather wise. I can't remember a September that has been so constantly warm and dry. You could ask more from a month at the end of summer and going into autumn. In fact it has hardly been autumnal at all and there has been some amazing sunrises as I have been going to work. Just wish I could have stopped the bus rather than having to try and take pictures through a dirty window.

The current spell of warm weather will at least be with us until the end of the month and a number of weather records are bound to fall or be close to being equalled. In general the average September temperature of around 16 degrees has been exceeded most days and the rainfall has has been negligible. Even the water levels Rutland Water have been visibly falling during a time in of the year you would expect them to be stable. You just have to listen to the dawn chorus as the sun rises or the mist clears to know we are in for a good day.

One would hope that this weather is just some kind of statistical blip, but over recent years the weather does deem to have been changing and the scientific evidence does point to a change in the climate due to man made global warming. Currently the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet which is causing changes in the jet stream which is resulting weather systems getting stuck, just as is happening now over the United Kingdom. As time goes on some scientists are predicting  frequent prolonged spells of extreme weather in Europe, Asia and North America, but before you rush out to buy some new swimwear for December this extreme weather could equally be very cold as opposed to warm. 

The jury is still out on how long this period of  warming will last and if in fact it is due to global warming, but the fact remains we can all see the changes to the weather and we need to be prepared and take action. We need to protect and enlarge the rain forests, plant new forests and protect green spaces and land used to grow food. We need to swallow up the carbon dioxide and reduce the heating effect and find ways of reducing emissions. We need to heal the earth.

Cold Bank Holiday

Yesterday has to be the coldest bank holiday Monday I can remember in August and probably the wettest too in turns of the length of time that it rained. The only good thing is that we didn't have particularly high winds as well.

This morning the wash out of yesterday was all over the front pages of the newspapers together pictures of people at the Notting Hill Carnival tying to make the best of it and smiling in the rain, but had to feel for them all dressed up to for the summer and covered in plastic raincoats. Rather than bikinis umbrellas were more the order of the day, as one paper put it. it was more like "Singing in the Rain" than a summer carnival.

Here in Rutland it just rained and rain, and even when the forecast predicted we should have a break from the rain, it rained. And the temperatures struggled to get above the low teens all day. What was worse was it was the sort of rain that you get in the Lake District that seems to go through you whatever you wear. In some areas three weeks worth of summer rain fell in one day and that is what it felt like here. 

In some parts of the country records tumbled as sub-zero temperatures were recorded in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. I know summer bank holidays can be rather hit or miss but this was the greyest one I can remember and certianly the coldest. It must have spoilt events all over the country and is claimed cost the tourist business millions. The sun didn't shine once, although apparently it was sunny in Scotland after the frost.

Who I feel sorry for are all those people that had plans for days out to the seaside or off to one of the many outdoor events that were organised around the country. All those people and the event organisers would have been hoping the weather forecasters had got it wrong, but they didn't. The good news is that after to day, at least locally things start getting back to normal and although it might not be a heatwave it will be warm than it has been of late.

Jumper Weather

Well the weather has turned now and it sure feels like summer is over, although I haven't given up hope  that it might return. For now I'm  sticking a jumper on and crossing my fingers that things will improve while not holding my breath that it will be anytime soon, despite two glorious sunsets in a row. 

Looking at the long range weather forecast on the mobile telephone and what is coming out of t he BBC it is set to remain cold for at least the next few weeks but you never know the weather could still turn warm as we hit mid September. Then there is always the chance or one of those Indian summers we sometimes get in October to be hopeful for. They are always welcome before the cold of the winter hits sometime in late November. 

What is a shame is that the lovely warm weather at the start of the summer school holidays didn't last until the end. I remember the long hot summers of my youth with such affection and I know my children enjoy the lovely weather too, as do we all. It just allows you to get out and have fun and be with your friends out in the open and fresh air. Being stuck indoors or dodging showers in the cold isn't the way to spend the last few weeks of summer before having to go back to school.

The thing I will miss most about the summer leaving our shores is not just the heat of the day but the length of the day as the nights draw in. I love the long days and brightness it brings to the countryside and dislike the darkness of the winter nights, even if I can be cosy and warm in front of a real fire at night. Let us hope the summer hasn't gone quiet yet and there is a little more to come. Until then it is jumper weather I fear. 

Poor year for Swifts

One thing I have noticed this summer is that it been a poor year for seeing swifts high above the village feeding. In past years you would see number of pairs of birds low over the village eating the insects on the wing. This year I have just counted the one pair in all, which such a shame for they are lovely to watch in the warm evening of the summer.

The swift is an amazing bird spending most of their life in the air and can fly to attitudes in excess of 18,000 feet when migrating. They feed, drink, mate and sleep on the wing, and in fact they only land to breed. They are just beautiful to watch as they soar high in the sky on a summers day. They spend their winters in Africa and flew through Spain and France every year to get to our shores to breed and leave our shores once the insects they feed on become harder to find. While in Africa they follow the winter rains to and the insects population which swells in numbers in the rain and the heat.

Now there are a number of reasons sight for the lack of birds this year the major one of them being the weather the cold wet summer meant when they arrived in this country there wasn't enough food for them to eat. Many left in search of food and those that stay were seen pushing unhatched eggs from the nests as they couldn't feed themselves let alone the chicks if the eggs if they hatched. Hopefully those that left and those that stayed found enough food to fly home to Africa for the winter.

The other is that we are destroying the places where they nest. Each summer when they return to Britain they are finding harder find spaces in the lofts of old buildings which are being renovated and more and more of their habitat is being developed into housing without any thought to what it is doing to the wildlife of this country, something I have talked about before on this blog.  

They say when the swifts leave the summer is over. If that is the case it never began. Even the pair I have seen I fear have left to return to warmer climbs given the weather we have now. There are even predictions of frost for some areas of the country this week, if you believe the papers, but I know one thing for sure it feels more like autumn than summer, which is not the way to end the summer holidays for the children.

All Change

With the rain we are having tonight rain it seems we have finally come to the end of the warm spell and the gulf stream has moved and we are back into the weather patten that has spoiled many of the recent summers and made them feel so dull. Up to now the summer has been amazing weather wise and the best I can remember in a while.

It is just a shame it has come with three weeks of the summer holidays to go and there is a threat of a summer storm for Sunday too complete with high winds and rain. All we can do is hope that it isn't long lived and things turn there self around before the holidays are over for the sake of all the children and the parents out there. 

Beutiful Weather

This year it actually feels like summer after the disappointing summers of recent years. The sun has been high in the skies and the temperatures have been raising in to the upper twenties and better still it has been like that for day after day for a while now and with it have come stunning sunsets.

It just what I think we all need to banish away the winter blues and the wet spring that followed to drown our spirits. I know the girls are enjoying it and seeing the sun is enough to make most people smile. Feels like it hasn't been like this for years. Let's hope it carries on and on.

Spring Sunshine

No this has to be one of the hottest days of the year so far and long may the days like this stay with us until the summer really arrives to warm out hearts. Without outside temperatures beating the forecast highs and the skies so blue and the air so clean it always a lovely time of the year when you get weather like this after the winter.

The last of the daffodils are still in flower and these have now been joined by the deep beautiful red of the tulips that have started to flower making some of the places, were occasionally you find both, look so wonderful with there contrasting colours. It really is a lovely time of year with green shoots appearing in the gardens of flowers yet to come. There is the blosom of the trees, especially the cherry blossom so loved by the Japanese which looks so lovely in it's pink and white which is just starting to come to an end.

I hope this all means we are in for a good summer this year, unlike the summers of recent years. We could all do with some sunshine, especially the farmers come harvest time and those that were flooded earlier this year that need the ground water to return to the norm. 

Spring has Sprung

With temperatures reaching a lovely 18 degrees it was a real taste of what we have to come as we head towards the summer. Who would have thought that in early march we would have even one day as hot as a day in late spring.

In fact it reminded me of when I first came to the village and that was the may school half term, it was just as lovely then as it was today in the afternoon sunshine and that will be over six years ago in May when life was full of promise. 

I can't wait for the village to bust into flower again and the churchyard to be full of daffodils and tulips. It looks so pretty, especially on a quite sunny spring morning in the crisp air with the birds singing their springs songs, full of the joys of life. 

It is really a time of renewal when the world comes alive again after the drabness of the winter months and the cold long nights and short days.

All Change

Don't let the lovely sunset fool you today, the warm spell is nearly over if the story on the BBC News website is correct and the warmest spell since 2006 is nearly over.

With rain showers forecast for Saturday afternoon and then thunderstorms rolling up the country from France on Sunday marking then end of this part of the summer. I guess we will be in for more localised flooding some of the streets in the village and the main road will be under inches of water again for part of Sunday at least. Personally I have loved the weather, after all it was about time we had a change from those long damp summers of the recent past and something that more like the summers of old. 

And it Rained

After all the sunny weather we have been having recently the heavens opened up over night, the sky lit up with the flashes of lightening and the air was full of the sound of thunder.

Predictably with so much rain the streets of the village flooded once again and peoples gardens were threatened with flooding because of the state of the drains at the side of the road. This is becoming more and more common when we get any significant rain fall. Lack of investment in the drainage system in Rutland to solve on going localised flooding is clear to for all to see. This isn't the first time the road shown in the picture has flooded before and nor will it be the last.  

Instead of taking action trying to sort out the drainage system the council would rather do nothing and ignore the problem for as we all know spending on infrastructure is something they just ignore. No action will be taken until it is to late and the people mopping up the mess will be the insurance companies and the people paying will be the villagers with high insurance premiums.

Glorious Weather

It seems like a long time ago since we really had a nice warm spell in July like we are having at the moment. Most of the recent summers have been plagued by rain. In fact the last one I can remember was four years ago, in a summer I remember only to well, when the warm spell went on and on.

With this warm spell predicted to well into next weekend and talk of it going on beyond we certainly turning around some of the predictions of the summer being a wash out. Hopefully there will be times when the girls will be together to have some water fights and general fun in the sun. I know I can't wait for the summer fun, it what I really need at the moment to make me smile. Time with all the people I love.

Summer Storms

Just to prove that the Bank Holiday has lived up to it normal reputation, here are some pictures from the storm that hit the village in the middle of the afternoon. As you can see it caused some minor local flooding, something that is becoming more and more common.

As perusal it produced some localised flooding. It the sort of flooding I haven't seen in the village before and it only seems to have started happening this summer. Looking at the drains I put it down to lack of maintenance caused my the cuts in local Government funding.

Summer

After all the rain and the speculation about if we were ever going to get any hint of summer it came along today.  With temperatures rising into the mid and upper twenties, the sun shining and the skies blue, it felt like summer at last. Good thing for Emily too, who will return home later to see the best of it.

However all is not well, it not here to stay if the weather forecasters are to believed and at the end of the week temperatures return to where they were before and a few days later the rain starts falling again. So folks, it looks like we have to make the most of it while we can or lucky be rich enough, or know someone rich enough, to leave the country to find more sun this summer.

Rain and Floods Warnings

There was me saying what a lovely day it was yesterday only for me to read in the news that we are to brace ourselves for more heavy rain and flash flooding tomorrow. In fact it is predicted we could see the whole months rainfall in the next 48 hours.

It would appear the risk of flooding in the East of England, the Midlands and parts of Wales is the highest it has been so far this year. This has resulted in the Met Office issuing amber warning for these areas. It is predicted that two bands of heavy rain will come in on Friday and early Saturday and this could cause problems with transport links and flooding to properties.

BBC weather reports said that 40 to 60mm of rain was anticipated, with some areas possibly getting in excess of 80mm, and with such large rainfall totals the result will be problems with surface water, river flooding, travel disruption and severe impacts on local infrastructure. Not something you would expect even of a British Summer.

Environment Agency's head of flood incident management, is reported as saying that "We are expecting some very significant flooding in the coming days across large parts of the country, and would strongly urge people to sign up to flood warnings, keep a close eye on the forecasts for their area and be prepared. We would also ask that people stay safe, by keeping out of dangerous flood water and not attempting to walk or drive through it."

The reports say that the agency has opened incident rooms and has teams out checking on flood defences and clearing any blockages to reduce risks as much as possible. The truth is we all know from the flooding in Leicester and other areas recently the drainage systems are just not up to the task of dealing with such heavy rainfall. So be on your guard and I hope you have fun in the rain and play safe.

Wettest Recorded Three Months

I can't remember a period of weather like this in all the years I have been alive, and there has been a lot of them. It just has seemed to rain and rain and rain. We have gone from a period of hose pipe bans to one with more water than we no what to do with.

It all points to what we have been told for a while, that gobal warming is effecting the weather. It seems that way and it looks like we are messing with the planet we live on to the extent that we are messing it up for our children.

And guess what there is more of the same to come if you look at the long range weather forecasts. It could just turn out to be the wettest summer ever recorded.

Time to Invest

With all the flooding in the recent months caused by heavy rain the big question is should the water companies, local authorities, and the government  be investing in better drainage in the United Kingdom.

Clearly the answer to that question by anyone that has been flood in recent months will be a massive yes. It is clear that the weather is starting to change and we have to proactive and start working on the drainage systems in the UK before it becomes too late on a massive scale, rather than tinkering around the edges after the event.

What I find interesting is that people aren't talking about this in the press accept in Northern Ireland. You would have thought that it would have become a big issue nationally. As it is the stories of the floods make the news but not the solutions to preventing future flooding. Politicians don't seem to want to tackle the problem head on and come up with solutions.

I don't know much about drainage but simply looking on the internet in to who owns the drains in the United Kingdom you realise that it is a complex problem. Some parts of the system are own by the water companies, other bits local authorities and central government is involved too. Clearly this makes any coordinated approach to tackling the problem far more complex, but it doesn't mean it impossible.

Central government has to start drafting legislation to get the owners of the various parts of the system working together and start the process of upgrading the drainage system. This could involve looking at the who process of ownership and placing it the hands of the water companies themselves to simplify the system for all public drainage systems. This of course would require them to do maintenance on the drainage systems currently carried out by local councils but this could be funded through levies paid to them from the public purse by the local councils.

Then comes planed investment in the system and who pays. The government wants to invest money into the economy, it wants the construction industry to build us out of the mess we are in, by creating work in the sector. Currently it wants that money to go into housing, which would simply destabilise the already failing housing market in the United Kingdom. So why not invest in the drainage system itself and create the jobs in construction there. Of course this would mean that their would be an increase in water bills for all since any money lent to the water companies would have to be repaid at some point but we can't carry on as we are. 

It is time to invest and we will have to take the hit if we don't want more flooding in the future. The Government need to start acting now to upgrade the complete system. It needs to start planning with the water companies and the local authorities the future needs of the country. It is a massive civil engendering project but the work needs to start now before is too late.

Freaky Weather

Well, today the weather has been something else.  I was in Melton Mowbray with Emily at a dentist appointment when a large storm hit the region the start of which was signalled by street lights coming on in the town as the skies darkened at nearly two in the afternoon to the light levels you would expect at dusk. Then rain hit, the wind picked up and the hailstones fell. Thankfully we were safely inside. It was like someone had opened a giant tap above the town.

 Just before the storm hit Melton Mowbray

 The storm rolling into Rutland

 The dark clouds over the village

 Flooded roads in Leicester 

A four by four stuck in the floods in Leicester

As we returned home we to Rutland we watched the centre of the storm to the west of us. We saw the lightening and heard massive thunder claps as we went down the road. All the time we could see the edge of the storm moving in behind us and coming our way. After dropping Emily off back at school the skies in the village had turned almost black and the rain began to fall but thankfully it was short lived.

Thankfully we were on on the edge of the storm. The full force of it hit the city of Leicester to the west of us. It turned roads into rivers according to people in the area. Soon websites and twitter were full of images of flooded roads, fallen trees and cars stuck in the water. As time went on reports started to appear about damage done by the size of the hailstones and the wind at the centre of the storm which ripped tiles off the roofs of houses. Pictures were posted of cars with dents in them and of the hailstones themselves that were the size of golfballs if not bigger.

Thankfully nobody died in the area or seems to have been seriously hurt, but all the same the damage done to property and cars by the storm will cost a pretty penny to put right. The lucky ones will be insured the unlucky ones not. It not the sort of weather you see to often but it is becoming more common as the effects of global warming kick in. One has to ask what sort of legacy have we left our children by our over use of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Sunshine

I'm sorry to be so British with posts about the weather but it has been so grey and wet for the last month that any sunshine is worth mentioning. I know nearly everyone on my Facebook has been commenting on the rubbish weather if they happen to live in England.

Today was one of those what seems like rare days when the sun actually came out for the morning. It just so lovely to see and it certainly warmed my heart. I managed to get out into the village with the camera and given I had places to go today it was Just lovely to be able to do it with the sun shinning. It just a shame it not going to stay like this and as I write this post the rain has returned.

I just hope that the long range weather forecast is wrong. It has it staying this way to at least the first week in July and may be beyond. It not what the school children and families will want with the coming of the school holidays.

Where is Summer

With another wet day today one is wondering what has happened to the summer. The odd rainy day isn't unusual but this constant rain and the cold isn't something I can remember this time of year.

It makes you wonder what we are doing to the environment. It is clear the effects of global warming are starting to show in the weather patterns. I can't remember a summer that has started like this. It been so wet for so long. It seems all the rain is falling at the wrong time of the year. This is all because the jet stream is in the wrong place, it is far to far south.

It looks like this changing weather is something we are going to have to get to use to. Something we have brought on ourselves. What we need now is to find ways to return things to normal. It not just about not making it worse, it is reducing in our use of carbon fuels to the point that the environment can start to recover. It is about doing things to reverse what we have been doing and putting things right.

To do this is going to take a whole rethink not only how we use fossil fuels but how we live, where we work and how we protect the countryside. The reason we need to do this is for your children and their children. We have to act now and not bury our heads in the sand thinking it doesn't concern us. Saying that is like saying you don't care about your children's future.