Flowers in November

The safari has just been out to Patch 1 between showers. I say between but actually we got aught in a downpour. We noticed a remarkable range of flowers still flowering:-

False (= Tall) Oat Grass

Yorkshire Fog

Wall Barley

Prickly Sow Thistle

Smooth Sow Thistle

Dandelion

Common Catsear

Bramble - buds about to burst.

In the garden at Base Camp I can see:-

Evening Primrose - buds just bursting

Fuchsia

Clematis - The President I think

Pansies (supposed to be spring flowering but have been going nonstop for about 18 months)

Lobelia

Aubretia

Ladies Mantle

Nasturtium

Thrift

Rosemary - buds about to break

A pink thing in the pond that is normally a late flowerer anyway

Herb Robert

and a low growing Sedum thing that normally flowers around June/July

At Parch 1 we saw exotica like Collared Doves, a very nicely marked 1st winter Blackbird - very scaly on the breast - confiding too - wish I'd taken the camera! (hmm electronics - torrential rain), a Mistle Thrush, proving me a liar on the AutumnWatch thread when I replied to another correspondent and told them all ours from Patch 1 had long gone and not reappeared - this one must have been a long distant migrant - honest!?! Frank saw a Grey Squirrel on the ground but it beat him up the nearest tree by about half an hour.

Talking of Autumnwatch they showed the spectacular Buckenham Rook & Jackdaw roost. Now many years ag I used to live less than 5 miles from there and never knew about it. The presenter was shown the spectacle by Mark Cocker, a well known wildlife writer. He and I were contemporaries at uni but I can't remember anything about him despite surely us both being in the extremely active Bird Club. Maybe I have beer induced amnesia from that time. He sudied English literature I only studued Biological Sciences so he has written lots of books and got them published - even got a couple myself - whereas I have written one book that'll never get published it would seem - not unless I pay £600 for the priveledge. Good luck to him but i still can't see his face on any of those maniacal minibus tours we used to go on - he probably has no clue as to who I am either. My only regret in life is I didn't take the opportunity to learning ringing when it was handed to me on a plate - now I couldn't get up early enough and haven't got enough fingers left!

Above is our student house at Plumstead Green, Norfolk

Still very grey...and guess what - it's raining again now!

Here's a quiz for you mathematicians/statisticians - If 12.4 inches of rain fell at Seathwaite the other day and that is the new record and being hailed as a 1 in 1000 years event how come it only beat the previous record by 1.4 inches which occurred in 1955. Was that day only a 1 in 500 years event? Or will it not happen again until (approx) the year 2982? 2982 = (2009 - 1955) / 2 + 1955 + 1000. That sort of statistic should be some sort of consolation to those flooded out - somehow I don't think they'll have to wait the best part of 1000 years before it happens again.

Where to next? Out in the wet somewhere tomorrow hopefully.

In the meantime let us know what's trying to avoid drowning in your outback.

PS we have discovered that of our three digicams the crappy 20 quid little one will take photos through the scope...you have been warned.