100%

The wet weather we’ve had with scarcely a break since sometime in April seems to be ending the year by filling our reservoirs right up …

Reservoir levels rose through the summer when they’d normally fall, and have finally reached 100%.

There’s so much water above ground too that it’s reclaimed natural wetlands, such as the areas east of Exeter[1] that our transport routes to the rest of England have to cross.  Fortunately Dartmoor always has capacity to absorb more water and we’re not at risk of flooding here, but other areas of southwest England have had more than their share over the past few weeks.  Indeed, even back in the summer there was sufficient rain to cut us off briefly, as floods and landslips affected railways and roads.

[1] The Somerset Levels are the most famous of those wetlands, but a chunk of East Devon is much the same terrain.

Beer! (and other good things)

You don’t have to be my most devoted follower to know my general attitude to the season of humbuggery.  In summary, I don’t hold with it.  I don’t send cards, I don’t give presents (except to children), and I try hard to discourage anyone giving me such things.  If I should happen to get you a present, it’ll be a random time of year, and probably opportunistic.

This year for the first time in many, I’ve had a genuinely pleasant surprise with a present.  A coffee-table book[1] entitled simply “Beer” amused me when I first opened it, and I think it’s going to be a delight to have around.  Thank you F. !

Also for the first time for a while, I’ve overeaten in company on this day.  I know my host is a regular reader (and would probably have been eating meat if I hadn’t been there), so thank you again for a truly delicious lunch and entertaining company.

[1] Any normal book I’d rather have in electronic form than on paper, as I lack space to store the latter.  Music is an exception.  The coffee-table book is another, that hadn’t even occurred to me before!