London 2012 Autumn Olympics

Dearleap Tree- Mendip Hills, Somerset, UK. ID JB5_3565

This is a picture of the Dearleap Tree I took today while it was raining. Yesterday’s picture looked the same, and the one taken the day before that, and the day before that, and… For two months the scene has never changed.

Yesterday we had 40mm (one and a half inches) of rain in a single hour. The roads turned into rivers and homes and pubs were knee deep in mud and water. These floods are repeating around the UK week after week. Making this the wettest summer on record in one hundred years.

In spring the butterflies came out early and the sun came out to play each day. The reservoirs emptied and hose-pipe bans were in place. It was the hottest April on those weather records. Then suddenly the jet stream went south and so did our weather. Each morning I draw back the curtains to see grey clouds and rain.

The summer butterflies are still in hiding. Last weekend the white admirals, silver wash fritillaries and hairstreaks were nowhere to be seen at Shapwick Heath. On the news today they showed overwintering wading birds returning to overwinter in the UK. The wildlife think its already in autumn – and I believe them.

I love the Olympics. Many teams are already in the UK to acclimatise – if they succeed at this I guess they will go back with webbed feet. At least the swimmers will be happy. So if you are coming to the UK enjoy the Autumn Olympics, my family and I are off to California!