The lake.

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The lake looked inviting, the sun was breaking through the clouds and the water was still. Gentle ripples from the slight breeze disturbed the surface.

No one else was around. She had been sitting on the sun terrace and had fallen asleep in the hot sun. Now she was awake and hot. A paddle in the water would be nice and cooling. There was a sloping beach at one end of the lake. She put on her sandles and walked round the edge of the lake.

Walking over pebbles the water rose round her ankles then her knees. Blissful cool water lapped around her.

She stood quietly for a while then started to splash the water up to cool her face, arms and body. It felt so good that she slipped down into the water. Kicking off her sandles she started a slow breast stroke out towards a wooded island a few meters off in the distance. She knew there was a bench in the shade there. Her thin skirt billowed out behind her and she felt relaxed and like she was floating in space.

Then it happened. The skirt snagged on something, weeds? She was a strong swimmer and didn’t think it was a problem. She swung round to pull at her skirt. A hand grasped her wrist and she felt herself being pulled down…..

Light through clouds

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In the forest it was gloomy, rain had been falling all day, and a grey swirling cap of clouds seemed to sit just above the treetops.

As she walked into the clearing she looked up. No sign of sunshine. It was almost as dark there as under the trees. At least there was a pool which looked clear. She had got a camping stove and would soon be able to make a hot drink. This then would be her camping spot for the night. Only another 20 miles to her destination.

Then as she prepared her evening meal, the clouds started to part and light streamed into the glade.

The light seemed to trigger movement. All around her the ground seemed to lift up into humps which turned into writhing figures in human form. They had been held down by green tendrils of leaves. The green men. An ancient myth. She screamed as she realised they were surrounding her, mirroring the surrounding trees. Tendrils reaching out and pinning her to the ground. She had realised too late that they were carnivorous plants.

Rainbow garden

My hubby shouted to tell me he had made a rainbow today. The hose was spraying water and the sunlight was behind us and bright.

In one of the photos there is even a double rainbow.

 

Rainbow

Coloured with light,

shining with sparkles,

water in flight.

 

Rainbow

glittering brightly,

wonderful vision

droplets so spritely.

 

Rainbow

water drops glisten

spectrum of sound

making you listen.

 

Rainbow

to see your smiling bow

happy to watch

your coloured sparks flow.

Raining

Water is a wonderful compound, and having rain from the sky is great. The only problem is that with the effects of climate change, rain isn’t always easy to live with.

Into each life a little rain must fall is a quote from a song I think . But in this world it falls either too much, or too little in some cases. There are floods in some countries, while others see no rain for years and deserts expand. Micro bursts of rain dump a mass of rain rapidly in a limited area while the surrounding area remain dry causing havock. We have thunderstorms here that are much larger and more violent than in the past and the same is happening all over the world. And rain also causes erosion which destroys cliffs and washes away soil. When man cuts down forests the ability of trees and plants to store water and allow it to be slowly released is diminished. Rain falls in places like the Amazon which help to regulate the weather systems of the world. Now that the goverment of the country is allowing more deforestation the concern is that the weather and rain patterns will be seriously or even catastrophically affected.

Man (and woman) need to take responsibility and keep this world safe for future generations. Rain gives and takes life.

Wild fowl

We just went for a walk round the small lake at Westport and decided to feed the birds. Mostly pigeon and Canada geese with a mix of a few others and some swans and ducks. I fed the pigeons by putting the food on the top of a fence. Once they were confident I tried holding the food out in my hand and they pecked the food while standing on the fence, finally they all took turns standing on my hand and pecking the food out of it. I only did it because I knew I could wash my hands afterwards.

The management of the lakes are now with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the whole place looks more managed but wild if you see what I mean. Colourful poppies and other wildflowers surround the visitors centre. Drifts of nettles feed butterflies. I saw an electric blue damsel fly skittering about them. I also saw a peacock butterfly and a cabbage white.

We were sitting up on the balcony at the visitor centre when we saw a large carp in the lake. It’s pale colour meant it was visible from above. Looking at its size compared with some terns sitting on a piece of wood in the lake it must have been about 18 inches long.

An enjoyable afternoon.

Out of the rain.

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The storm blew in from the North like a runaway train. The wind threw water against the houses. Cars were lifted up by the flood and were caught on the top of the neat hedges that lined the sides of the street. Out of the maelstrom came a figure of a small man dressed in a black raincoat. Water streamed from him, it flowed out of his sleeves and trouser legs. Tears streamed in rivers from his eyes, nose, mouth and even from his ears.

He was called Beck and he was from the North. He was a water god and he had decided to show mankind his might because of the way the World was being treated. He was angry and the storm was growing into a tornado. He had seen the way forests were being cut back, cars clogging roads, ships travelling half way across the world to deliver the cheapest sweatshop goods.

Beck lifted his arms, words bubbled up from his mouth.

Learn or die! He screamed in a high voice. Learn, or, die !

Looks like rain….. again!

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Rain, some people never get any, others get monsoons. Here in temperate Britain we get our fair share but the South East gets less. Up here in the Midlands we usually have reasonable amounts and we rarely have hose pipe bans.

This year we had a really mild February followed by a wet and windy spell. Now in June the temperature is lower than usual and we are stuck under a low pressure area, so it keeps raining. Don’t expect to get enough vitamin D either. It’s overcast and grey.

Apparently the Jet Stream in the upper atmosphere if swinging backwards and forwards, sending Low pressure areas down riwards us or up from the bay if biscay. High pressure and a stable weather situation seem far away.

The weather in the east has been very bad for a change and there are floods in Lincolnshire. Rivers have burst their banks, and as a lot of the land is below sea level, the embankments and river edges are overflowing. Homes have been flooded. Life is interesting.

No……

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I have really interesting, involved dreams, marvellous fantasies. The trouble is when I wake up they are gone. Dissappeared, dissolved into the mists of reality. I have just woken up from one marvellous concoction. But it’s gone. I can’t grasp it back from my sleep. Today as I woke I could hear myself shouting Noooooo…..

In other news, I just heard the very quiet sound of running water. A hiss that signifies something is happening outside? Went out. My partner had switched the outside tap on last night with the hose attached… He’s left it on all night! I’m surprised the garden hasn’t floated away! We don’t have a hose ban, but I might ban him. Thank goodness we are not on a water meter!

Another reason to wake up shouting Noooooooo!

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Raining

We haven’t had much rain lately but today it bucketed down, rain was falling so heavily it overwhelmed the gutters of the house and was pouring so fast it filled up two empty milk bottles outside the front door. There was hail mixed in with it. Small lumps of ice hitting your windows and bouncing over my tomato plants outside.

Rain storms seem fiercer than the gentle rain of heaven from Portia’s speech in Shakespeareof yesteryear. Now we have cloudbursts, like a sponge being wrung out. All the water dumped like being under a waterfall.

I don’t know about “singing in the rain” more like swimming in the rain!

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