Saturday 8 February 2014

FEBRUARY FILL-DYKE ......



February fill dike Be it black or be it white; But if it be white, It's the better to like.

The above is a very old weather proverb, of which we abound here in England.   Our weather being notoriously variable, there are plenty of proverbs telling us what to expect if this or that happens!     The black and white refers to rain or snow, but as either makes the ground wet, it doesn't much matter.   The Meteorological Office tell us that February is normally one of the driest months.   Not this year!   We have suffered storm after storm, with torrential rain, and considerable damage.   I feel so sorry for all those people who have been flooded out of their homes.   It will take ages to get the water, smell and dirt out, and there is always the chance it will happen again.


Luckily we are not threatened in any way up here.  Macclesfield is a hilly town, originally built on what you might call the foothills of the Pennines, and any river that has thoughts of flooding has had its defences strengthened!  

I took my camera found the Park this morning as it was nice and bright, though there was a very strong cold wind.   Good reason to walk briskly.   But you can see from the above picture how muddy it is.   There were daffodils on this bank last year, but I rather think they might have rotted this year!




Looking from the further end of the lake you can see some of the ducks, gulls and two swans we have here in the winter.    We used to get a lot of Canada Geese, but the male swan is very aggressive and chases away anything bigger than a mallard!




Near the Pavilion in the park is a stone which marks the site of St. Anne's well which was established for the residents of the main road where the park entrance is.  It is dated 1844, but the well is no longer there, and we all have mains water now!   Our dog wouldn't get out of the way, but I think actually he adds something to the photo!




The Park workers, of which there is now only one, and he works part-time, try to keep the beds looking as colourful as possible.   These primulas are the ones making the best of the bad weather!



And although it was a bright morning, with some sun, the rain clouds were already gather!   I took this from our gate in to the Park, as the wind was so strong I needed something to lean against to take the shot.

Good day for going back indoors, and writing a new post!