Weather update

[shewhomust]

The weather forecast told us that today would be cold, grey and wet, so there was no point in going for a walk. It was wrong, but we didn't know that, so we spent the morning strolling round Durham on a tour of inspection. Nothing serious (so far, and as far as can be seen by the casual stroller) but impressive nonetheless. The speed at which the Wear is moving is - impressive; all the stray branches have been washed off the weirs, and are rushing downstream like gigantic pooh-sticks (with a makor tangle building up at Elvet Bridge); in fact the weirs are completely submerged, visible only as eddies in the water. We saw a couple of cormorants flying past, clearly wondering where to land now that their normal perch has vanished - also a goose floating backwards, looking very aggrieved.

We were able to walk along the riverside path some of the time, but kept being blocked where the Wear has overflowed its banks. It was lower this morning, though, than it had been yesterday, when durham_rambler saw the water lapping at the sign outside the new hotel. Even if we didn't have the evidence of what he'd seen, it would be obvious from the tidemarks: a strip of fine muddy silt at the water's edge, and then a border of broken twigs and leaves beyond it.

We're way up the hill here, well out of reach of the river, however high it rises. But despite this morning's sunshine, it has been raining again...