Truly Awash

Boating in 2012 was a trial, with drought up to March and flood thereafter. There are too many blog entries here called "Awash" and "Nene Floods" for my liking!
There's an excellent page from the BBC here showing the rainfall stats and musing on the climate. 
They do rather better than the Met Office to put across complex data for public consumption.
A nostalgic look back on our floods in the eastern region takes me to
May 1st
May 9th
not forgetting the Royal Pageant (very wet in the afternoon)
June 30th
July 13th
November 22nd and pretty well every entry in November!
 Actually it looks as if we did nothing but moan about rain all year!
Here's to a brighter 2013.

Rain, rain, go away ....

Into every life a little rain must fall ... but really, this is ridiculous! Patience has hardly left her moorings all year because the briefest periods of poor weather haven't coincided with our free time. We've cancelled several trips and aborted our recent journey to Oundle because of wind, rain and Strong Stream Advice from the Environment Agency.
I said I was a fair weather boater but the stats now prove we've had ... (wait for it) ... the wettest April to June period SINCE RECORDS BEGAN!
Rainfall amounts for this period range from 268mm (Anglian region, where we are) to 427mm in Wales.
Total rainfall from April 1 to June 27 2012 was 323.4 (previous record: 296.5mm in 1931; average 208.4mm).
June was later confirmed as THE WETTEST JUNE SINCE RECORDS BEGAN! with 145.3mm (5.7ins) of rain in the UK.
And on that basis I declare our summer boating a washout! On the other hand it is the wind that has caused most of our problems.
Nevertheless we are going ahead with The Shelford Feast,  we will try very hard to visit Ramsey and Benwick on the Middle Levels while we are confined to (sorry, based at) Fox's Boatyard, and who knows, in September we might be able to break  out and make it at last to Oundle!

Fair Weather Boater

Okay, I admit it, I'm a fair weather boater. I enjoy sunlit scenery, dappled shade from overhanging trees, light and shade to give life to my views. Into every life a little rain must fall, and Patience has enough waterproofs to keep us dry and warm for days on end if necessary, but I'm not wild about setting out on days that promise only dull cloud and steady rain.
So it was that John and I cancelled a proposed trip up The Lark. Old softies? Maybe ... but boating is supposed to be fun and as I write this it's dull with constant rain and more wind than is comfortable.

I don't have much of a photo collection for Narrow Boats and Rain, but it does remind me of the day we took the wrong route and found ourselves in a boating pageant being saluted by a small chap with a toothbrush moustache. Choppy day, lots of rain, and I asked a bloke from a nearby submarine to take a  a photograph for me. I reasoned no-one would believe me....