St. Swithun's Day

 

Rainy Leighton Buzzard High Street

It rained on July 15th - St Swithun's Day.  Thank goodness it rained and if the folklore is correct it will carry on raining for forty days and forty nights. My garden was parched and in need of rain. I had been sparingly watering it mindful of how badly Anglian Water takes care of this precious resource over here. Even so, my plants looked thirsty. My windscreen wiper squirter had also dried up and my windscreen was far too dusty for lack of rain. That rain was truly welcome. but I am over it now. It has continued to rain and that is a bit annoying. It would be nice, however, if it only rained at night. 

I went for lunch at Naser and Amira's house on my bike in the rain. Because my raincoat isn't a posh breathable one, I was as damp on the inside as I was on the outside. I still haven't got the habit of wearing the right clothes for the right weather over here and that annoys me. I have been back in the UK far too long to still get it wrong. 

I planned to go and tidy up the graves in Leighton Buzzard this weekend. Danielle came too so we made a day of it and went to the market in the High Street on Saturday morning. I was so disappointed to find such a sparce collection of stalls. Apparently, the amber weather warning for storms pre-empted the organisers to cancel the event. Nonetheless, we found a bread stall that sold garlic sourdough and a plant stall where I bought fresh plants for the graves. 

The High Street is actually quite a buzzing place even in the rain. There was an exhibition from the history society with a weaving activity that Ezra-Mae loved and the town centre was full of independent coffee shops as well as busy pubs that proudly boast they date back to the 1200s. We had coffee in All Saints and then we walked through Page's Park which looked amazingly well kept. The children's area was full of wonderful climbing things which must have been a massive investment but it was far too wet to try them out. Even without a proper market, it was well worth the visit.

All Saints

By the time we got to the cemetery another rain jacket - my Peter Storm, grey affair with far too much velcro where it isn't needed  - was soaked through. Definitely not a favourite in my wardrobe. This is another purchase that is not suitable for the British climate! Danielle's jacket was just as wet. Only Mattaya stayed dry under her plastic stroller hood. With this level of wetness, Danielle stayed in the car while Ezra-Mae and I went forth, got wetter and sorted out the graves. 

The cemetery looked amazing. Just like Page's Park it was so well kept. I needed to do minimal trimming of the grass around the stones and with the rain being as heavy as it was, I have no doubt the new plants will last some time. For the first time, I had help. Ezra-Mae was genuinely helpful and didn't mind getting even wetter. 

My aunt's grave

My little helper

The day must have been fun. Within minutes of getting in the car, both girls fell asleep. Job done! We had a fun day out in the rain, two happy girls and lots of reminiscing. Cosgrove held the Canal Festival this weekend too. Despite the iffy weather that was also well attended. I popped down in the late afternoon when the sun had finally decided to pop through the clouds. And then.... it rained. 

Thirty-four days of rain left to fall.