We've just spent a weekend with friends in Somerset - and to our relief they are spared the flooding that is so filling the news bulletins here, though it was a strong topic of conversation.
As this lovely view looking across to Glastonbury Tor from their farm shows, not all the county of Somerset is flooded. Much is extraordinarily green (but waterlogged nonetheless) after all the rain and mild weather.
I don't know what decisions will or should be made about the protection of this area for the future and I certainly wouldn't want to have to make them.
As this lovely view looking across to Glastonbury Tor from their farm shows, not all the county of Somerset is flooded. Much is extraordinarily green (but waterlogged nonetheless) after all the rain and mild weather.
But I don't want at all to diminish the awful plight of so many people living and working on the Somerset levels. There is so much flooding. This is only a tiny snapshot of what so many are experiencing.
I'm sorry about the levels issue. I don't know exactly what's going on but I keep seeing posts about it on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me when I see photos or videos of Britain, how really small it is compared to California. Like, Britain is a mere 60% of CA landmass-wise. So things that always seem so far apart when I read books about Britain, and really close together. Seeing your photo of Glastonbury Tor reminded me of this. I recently saw Neil Oliver's show about the sacred sites of Britain, and from the Tor you can easily see to the Bristol Channel and Wales.
Hope you're staying safe and warm.
Thank you for your good wishes. We are safe and warm - and dry.
DeleteThe flooding is the result of weeks and weeks of heavy rain and strong winds driven by the jet stream across the Atlantic with no respite. It has been the wettest January here for over 100 years and the Somerset Levels (an area of flat, very low-lying farmland) especially has been inundated.
Apart from the devastation of this area, I have to admire and long for your green grass … what a sight for snow-blinded eyes !
ReplyDeleteWith all the snow we have, I pray that the rains come gently and allow time for the melt to seep into the ground gradually.
This winter, green grass is everywhere and lovely when the sun is shining as it is this afternoon, briefly. But it has been so, so grey and the rain has been almost ceaseless with little chance to enjoy it ... or is it just that we are never satisfied?
DeleteI will be watching your snow melt ...