28mm of rain on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Frost on Friday and Saturday -5.7ºC and -2.3ºC repectively, so quite a mix.

The total rain for December is 96.5mm, again slightly below average, but after the high of November we won't miss it. Rain on 16 days spread fairly evenly throughout the month and when it didn't rain, it froze (on 11 days) and I expect the cold to continue well into January.

January average rain is 107mm in the last 10 years and 114mm over the last 20, so not much difference.

[Once again we have much to thank Dawn for in keeping the record of our yearly experience of that great and perennial subject of conversation - Ed]

13.5mm of rain, but the main item of interest this week, was temperature:

Sunday       am -3.3ºC
Monday am -2.3ºC
Tuesday am -2.8ºC
Wedday am -1.1ºC
Thursday am -0.6ºC
Friday  no frost
Saturday am -1.8ºC

In spite of the frost on Wednesday morning there was 10mm of rain, so no wonder it was a bit slippy!

No snow on Christmas day, in fact it was nice enough for a walk in the morning, not quite so good in the afternoon though.

Once we get into the new year we should notice the days lengthening, as we have now passed the shortest day.

What a changeable week - 4 days with rain to start with, giving 14mm. Then the pressure dropped on Wednesday night/Thursday morning to 983 millibars and it got colder.

On Saturday morning there was a very hard frost- 6.6ºC - giving us a really cold day and making it very hard to get about on icy roads and pavements.........with the promise of more to come!

Only 12mm of rain, so a dry week really, much colder as well. Our lowest temperature was -1ºC and there has been a bit of ice on car windows a couple of times.

Winds coming from the North East, although fairly light, have made it feel cold at times, but it is nice to have it dry underfoot.

46.5 mm of rain this week - on 5 days - and a slight frost on 2 nights. December seems the same as November at the moment, which is not surprising as Man chopped time into sections to suit himself, but the weather flows on season after season, year after year, the pattern of months superimposed on top. So it's not reasonable to expect a change of date to be matched by a change in the weather. - all the same, a few sunny days would be appreciated right now!

November

Well I don't think anyone is sorry November is over, a record rainfall of 239mm spread over 27 days has given us a miserable month. In spite of the total (a record for us), no flooding, because it was steady day after day, rather than 2 or 3 days of torrential downpours.

The highest daily total was17.5mm on the 29th and on two days we had 16mm; all other days were less. It was the persistent rain which gave the high total. There have been 5 occasions when the total has exceeded 200mm since the 1980's, twice in July and once in November, December and January. I don't think it will be a record year though. We've had 6 months with low rainfall, this month just helps even things up a bit.

Decermber

Usually a wet month , the average is 135mm with a high of 206 in 1999 and a low of 30 in 2001, but if it's not raining we seem to have frost. Last year was a typical example, it rained on 10 days and we had frost on 14 days. The 25th has been dry 4 times in the last 10 years and the nearest we got to a white Christmas was 2000 when it snowed on the 27th.

Once again, rain every day giving a total of 74mm and still no end in sight. Strong winds mid-week and colder towards the weekend with temperatures of 4ºC and 5ºC. Perhaps if it stays colder, we may have drier weather as the two often go together in winter.

41mm with 2 rain free days - the first since before the start of the month. Otherwise it's rain and wind as before I'm afraid with no sign of change.

At least we've been spared the dreadful flooding Cumbria and parts of Scotland have suffered. Apparently it's a once in a thousand years occurrence, but that's little comfort to those who have lost their homes and possessions. In many ways water rushing downhill is far more damaging than rising water.

I'm afraid that some people will discover when they return to their homes, that doors and windows have been smashed and a lot of their possessions have been washed away. I remember in 1968 that items from Charterhouse were discovered in Cheddar!

51.5mm and another wet week with rain every day - that's 16 days now without a break, and as yet, no sign of more settled weather. This is typical November weather and could go on for another week or so I 'm afraid! [Thank you for nothing - Ed !]

What a change! We certainly had a lot of weather this week. Starting on Sunday with gales,then a very heavy hail storm in the early hours of Monday morning.

High winds and heavy showers all week, thunder and lightning on Friday and Saturday,when there were torrential downpours at intervals throughout the day and during the evening. Very much colder too, the lowest temperature was 1.6ºC on Friday night.

The total rain for the week was 68.5mm and we had rain every day.

15mm of rain this week, giving a total of 93 mm for October, when it rained on 15 days, again below average but a fairly typical October nonetheless.

We've had some very pleasant days and autumn colour has been very good. Still no really cold weather although I'm expecting November to be different.

The average rainfall for November is 110mm, with a low of 65mm in 2001 and a high of 217.5mm in 2002 when we only had 7 dry days . This month is usually fairly wet and chilly with a lot of cloud but not much frost and no snow. Except for 2005 when it rained for 12 days followed by 15 nights with temperatures below freezing, very unusual in the southwest as we don't get much frost before Christmas.

45mm of rain this week, spread over 5 days, so a fairly wet one, but I'm not complaining as it is needed. The last time we had a substantial amount of rain was July.

At least we missed the gales, which Scotland and the North suffered at the end of the week.

2mm of rain and a fairly cool week - a lot of cloud about - and when clouds cleared in the evening we had a couple of very cold nights. The lowest recorded in our garden was 1.9ºC, which gave a touch of frost down the allotments but the garden just escaped, but I expect by now everyone will have lifted or protected their tender plants!!

Well, what a changeable week - temperatures nearly reaching 70ºF at the start, with nights not below 16ºC. Then dropping to 4.4ºC on Wednesday night.

We had 31mm of rain - 15mm on Wednesday alone. I think our Indian summer is over and AUTUMN is here.

September ended with no more rain, giving a grand total of 22mm for the month - 1.5mm more than in 2002. There was dampness in the air on Friday and Saturday, but not measureable. Very windy towards the end of the week as well, and much cooler.

September was a memorable month over most of the country, dry and warm for nearly everyone except for parts of Scotland which had floods. So after 2 dry months we really need some rain in October.

October is usually a fairly wet month with a low of 68mm in 2003 and a high of 191mm in 2000. The average is 137mm.,The most wet days was in 2004 with rain on 24 days, also the wettest day in the last 10 years was on the 13th Oct 2002 when we had 60mm. This is also the likliest month for gales , so all in all an interesting month for weather!

13th - 19th September

No rain all week and plenty of sunshine, this must be the barbecue summer the weathermen told us about in the spring. But joking aside, this is typical of September - we usually have long spells of fine weather this month, sometimes going on into October, as it did in 2002 and 2003.

19mm of rain, all in September, so a dry August - well below average with 33mm.

Not as warm as the forecast predicted, partly because of the amount oif cloud we've had. I can't remember an August with so much cloud and so little rain. When there was a clear day it was lovely and warm, but all too often it just looked like rain, perhaps September will be better.

The September average over the last 10 years is 86.5mm, with a low of 20.5mm in 2003 and a high of 182mm in 2000 - a very wet year.

This is often a really nice month with plenty of sunshine and just the odd wet day, so hopefuly after a disappointing July and August, September will be good.
[Ever the optimist ! - Ed]

A fairly dry week again only 8.5mm of rain, but even that was spread over 4 days, so cloudy and overcast a lot of the time. When the sun does manage to break through it's been lovely and warm.

Because of all the dry weather we still need to keep watering, especially permanent planting and pots and tubs. As summer draws to a close it's easy to forget about watering, but now is the danger time for many shrubs, especially evergreens i.e camellias etc which we will expect to flower next spring.

Grass snake hatchlings. Plus Mum (thats the big one, about 48") the babies are 8-10 inches, but growing fast, they are already shedding skins as they grow. I think this is the finale - the compost
heap will now rest quietly until next spring!

A dry week until Thursday, and then only a drop of rain - and another drop on Friday - making a total of 2.5mm. Cloudy most of the time and looking like it's going to rain, without actually doing it.

Noticeably darker in the evenings now (2 months after the longest day) and getting quite chilly later in the day.
[Ooh, don't remind us .. winter draws on - Ed]

Well, no rain, but an awful lot of cloud. When the sun did break through it was lovely and warm, but it also often looked as though it would rain any minute. This put us off going out more than once, or making any long term plans, and then it didn't rain and we wished we had gone!

Hopefully, next week will be sunnier as the weather forecast is quite good, at least for the beginning of the week.

Only 17mm of rain this week and some lovely sunny days; still a fair bit of cloud about at times, but weather improving towards the weekend - always a good sign, and the outlook for next week seems promising.

68mm of rain - on every day again - the most on Wednesday: 26mm.

There was rain on 24 days during July, not a record. In 2007 it rained on 25 days with a total of 218mm. This year it only managed 217.5mm so not as bad (just).

The average for August is 97mm very similar to July's, with a low of 15mm when it rained on only 6 days, to a high of 175mm last year when it rained on 27days.

The longest spell of fine weather was 19 days in 2002. The weather in August often (but not always) mirrors July.

51.5mm of rain, with some every day, although there were some good sunny spells between the showers, and, if you were very lucky, as we were onThursday, you got a nice day out with the rain not arriving until we were on our way home.

Still no sign of settled fine weather though, as one depression follows another across Britain. What we need is some high pressure, but no sign of it at the moment.

With 71mm of rain, a wet week, we are over the July average already, with another 13 days to go. Sadly, there is no sign of any dry settled weather for the start of the school summer holidays. A familiar story I'm afraid, all too often July is a disappointment weatherwise!

I've sent pics of baby slow worms - you can see how small they are compared to my hand. They are still appearing, it seems to take a long time, I guess they are living up to their name!

28mm of rain, otherwise I'm not sure what the weather was like as I was away on holiday. Where we were we had lovely weather, but I think you had rather more rain than us!

18mm of rain on Sunday, 28th and 3mm on 2nd, the rest of the week dry with plenty of sunshine.

A total of 74mm in June, slightly above average for the first time in 4 months and just enough rain to keep things green, but still plenty of sunshine; a good month.

Only 8mm of rain this week, a few showers on Thursday and Friday, otherwise quite hot 24º-25ºC and plenty of sunshine. A lovely day for the garden trail on Saturday, it certainly helped swell the numbers of visitors

The average rainfall for July is 99mm with a high of 218mm in 2007, when it rained on 25 days (a dreadful month) and a low of 11mm in 1999 when it only rained on 3 days followed by a very wet August to make up for it.

We often seem to have our hottest weather in July, but also thunder and heavy showers. The old saying: 'three fine days and a thunderstorm' is more likely in July than any other month.

Another lovely week, no measureable rain at all here, although others in our area had heavy showers on Saturday. Reasonable temperatures as well, not too hot with light breezes.

Almost perfect June weather, long may it last!             [Further photos from the garden by Chris Elliott - Ed]

A really lovely week weatherwise, light breezes and high temperatures. Into the 80ºs F at times, until Friday when the cloud thickened and by evening it was raining. It really did rain too! 35mm in all which will please the gardeners no end.

May has been a fairly dry month - not the driest - but with only 56mm, again below average. The 4th month in a row. I think the most notable thing about May was the wind often from the north and east, making it very cold at times in spite of all the sunshine we had.

June. Average 67.5mm with a high of 127.5mm in 2007 when it rained on 18 days followed by a wet July and a low of 35mm in 2001 when we also had a wet July and A ugust. So any kind of prediction is impossible, we'll just have to hope for the best.

[And a sad PS to last week's superb nest picture - Ed] Following on from the robin's nest picture, I thought I would try and get a pic of the fledglings which hatched on Friday, only to discover an abandoned nest with 2 chicks dead and two missing. One egg didn't hatch.

I think it was probably a magpie, as there was one around yesterday ..... Nature can really kick you sometimes.............. At least it was a second brood, the first lot hang around our back door to be fed!

The fine weather hung on until early Wednesday morning.Then we had light rain or drizzle all day - only 7mm - though not enough to stop watering, especially vegetables.

The rest of the week was warm and sunny with temperatures rising steadily. Saturday very warm indeed, 25ºC + on the allotments at midday.                               [The weather clearly suits some .... Ed]

Rain on Monday and Tuesday - 24mm - otherwise a dry, mainly sunny week, but still a stiff breeze at times.

With another holiday weekend looming, will it stay dry and sunny or will it turn wet as it so often does ? At least it's still fine today (Saturday).

19.5mm of rain spread over 5 days - one day of very light drizzle all day (2mm), the rest as showers, sometimes quite heavy, and we still have the wind blowing strongly whatever direction it comes from. When is this hot summer that the media promised us, going to start? !!

Again very little rain, 5.5mm, and we still have the strong winds most days. On the rare occasion when the wind does drop, the weather is pleasant and springlike, but whenever I think it's gone for good - back it comes again!

On Tuesday and Wednesday it was very strong, ripping leaves off the trees and blowing things about, including my wind sock which left, never to be seen again. Luckily I was able to replace it by Saturday!

87.5mm of rain this week, giving a total of 57.5mm for April, so another month with below average rainfall. That makes 3 already this year, only January had an average amount.

We are still experiencing cold winds almost daily, so even when it's sunny you still need a coat and the wind is very drying , this week's rain was soon gone leaving the surface as dry as ever.

May

Average rainfall 93mm, a high of 156.5mm in 2006 and a low of 36mm in 2001, it also rained on 18 days in May 2006, and May was also the wettest month of the year. This month is quite often wet and windy, and as it's been a fairly dry year so far, I wouldn't be surprised if we had a spell of wet weather soon.

The weather usually averages itself out in the end, so hopefuly the wind will die down and we can all enjoy some nice warm evenings.

The weather has been very much the same as the previous week, but only 3mm of rain. Although there is still plenty of moisture in the soil at lower levels, the top couple of inches is now like dust, making it very difficult to get the vegetable crops started on the allotment. So the rain we've been promised next week will be very much appreciated by some of us, as long as it doesn't forget to stop!

A lovely Easter weekend for us all, and a fairly fine week, with only 8.5mm of rain and lots of sunshine. The wind has been a bit cold at times as it was mainly from the North/East, but it is only April.

Rain on 5 days out of 7 in the last week, but only very tiny amounts -18.5mm in all. It was heavy for a time during the procession from the chapel to the church on Good Friday but had turned to a light drizzle by 1pm.

Saturday, a lovely day with lots of sunshine, hopefully the rest of the weekend will be the same.

Yes, lots of sunshine, but the last couple of days of March were very blustery and cold. So the month has ended as it began.Very little rain, only 46mm so well below average for the second month in a row, but Chew Valley Reservoir is still full, so no water shortages yet!

The average rainfall for April is 85mm with a low of 23mm in 2007, when it only rained on 2 days (a real problem for gardeners) and a high of 183mm in 2000 when it rained on 17 days.

The weather this year seems to have reverted to a more traditional pattern, plenty of wind in March, so hopefuly showers in April. It's nice to see the spring flowers all out together as we used to see them and for once, the magnolias are looking beautiful with no frost damage as often happens.

The really cold weather in February did us a favour, as it discouraged everything from coming out too early and getting damaged by frost. In fact, our 'February Gold' daffodils didn't come out at all until mid- March - so much for global warming!

Again a dry week (just a couple of light showers produced 2mm of rain). Otherwise lovely sunshine, but still that bitter cold north wind. Worst on Friday and Saturday when it really kept the temperature down in exposed areas like the allotment site, but we are promised more sunshine next week. Hopefuly the wind will abate and we will feel warmer.

What a lovely dry week, sunny days and warm temperatures, up to 17ºC in our garden. Several people have told me that they have eaten lunch outside which is unusual for March.

A different story at night though, with temperatures going down to - 2.8ºC on one occasion, and -2.5º, -2.6ºC on other nights. So the fields have been white with frost in the mornings, but soon gone in the sunshine.

Not a lot of rain this week, only 16.5mm, mainly on Sunday and Monday.

Sunday was quite nasty at times with very heavy showers, some sleet and a strong cold wind, very similar on Monday without the sleet, but still a very cold wind.

Things slowly improved through the week, so that by Saturday the sun was shining and it was pleasantly warmish, with the promise of even better to come!

After a lovely day on the 1st, things went rapidly downhill. 27.5mm of rain, a very cold and blustery wind at times, temperatures down to -3.3ºC and a lot of cloud, so still not very springlike yet. Hopefully better next week.

1.5mm of rain, otherwise a dry week in spite of fairly heavy cloud cover a lot of the time, making it very damp and gloomy

February total only 37.5mm but of course, because of the snow, a lot wetter than the figures suggest. A memorable month because of the amount of snow we had, which varied greatly from one area to another.

The top of Wrington hill had quite a lot more than we did down in the village, and there was still snow on the ground near Priddy pools on the 1st of March. Although we have had a lot of frost, as we do most years in February, 2004/05/06 all gave 15 days continuous frost, so latterly, cold, not rain, typifies February.

March, with an average of 81mm, a high of 154mm in 2008 and a low of 43mm in 2000, is not a dry month. It is most noticeable for being changeable; the old tale of "in like a lion out like a lamb" still holds true, sometimes.

We last had snow in March in 2006, we've also had hail, sleet, heavy rain, frosts and gales, we've also had warm sunny days. So whatever it's like in March, tomorrow will be different!

I have included a couple of 'spring' pictures. It's amazing to think these flowers were buried beneath under the snow last week.

What a difference a week can make, we started with snow still on the ground in places, especially high ground and sheltered corners. Yet by Saturday it almost felt like spring with blue skies and sunshine. Snowdrops are well out now and the early daffodils are coming along.

Only 2mm of rain, so we do seem to be having a dry February again. Although, because of the snow, the fields are still very wet and it will be a while before they dry out.

89mm of rain and occasional flurries of snow this week, but nothing to worry about here, unlike the North and East of the country where they again had considerable snowfalls.

Cold and bleak though, and not much sunshine, so there is still snow lying on higher ground and in shady corners, and some nasty overnight frosts giving icy roads in the mornings.

Floods in the early part of the week, when the rain and melting snow caused the river and Langford Brook to overflow into the surrounding fields.

For once, the promise of colder weather and snow was right. Very cold on Sunday with a biting east wind, and snow on Monday, heralding either a week of fun and time off school, or a week of misery and struggles to get to work etc. As usual the media made a meal of it, but at least it stopped us talking about the financial situation for a while.

I hope no-one had any bad falls or damaged anything. Even on Saturday, although the roads were clear, pavements were still very icy.

It is very interesting hearing the different reactions to the weather from local people. Those younger ones who hadn't seen much snow at all, to older people going back to the eighties, seventies, early sixties right back to 1947 - which must have been one of the worst as it went on for so long. There was also a shortage of fuel, and rationing was still in place to add to the difficulties!

Only 13mm rainfall this week, so much drier and colder by Friday. Saturday very cold, the wind has gone round to the East and is quite strong, making it feel much colder than the thermometer says it is. I see we are being promised much colder weather and even snow, so be prepared!

January was the coldest we've had for quite a while. With no rain from the 23rd December to the 11th January, an unusully long spell of cold weather, lowest temperature here was -8.5ºC on the 6th January. Followed by 12 days of rain in the next 15, giving us a total of 125mm, so in spite of the cold spell we managed our average January rain.

February usually gives us a good spell of cold weather, even 2007 which was the wettest for 18 years started with a week of frosty nights and 2003, the driest in the last 10 years, had frosts from the 12th to the 28th.

Another wet week, with 69.5mm of rain, some flooding on the roads by Thursday. Langford Brook and the river both topped their banks, creating a lake in the riverside fields which attracted a couple of swans and our resident heron, bit it was soon gone.

I don't seem to have given the rainfall averages for January. They are: overall 126.5mm, with a high of 186mm in 1999 and a low of 38mm in 2000.

42.5mm of rain following 19 dry days - it's very unusual to get such a long dry spell in December/
January in the southwest. We usually have rain, while further north it's snow, but not this time.

A slight frost on Tuesday night, otherwise temperatures well above freezing.

An exceptionally cold week again, as last week, the temperature often remaining below freezing right through the day. The following list gives the minimum temperature at two locations in our garden;

Monday       -5.1ºC    -6.4ºC
Tuesday      -7.1ºC    -8.5ºC
Wednesday 0.8ºC      0.7ºC
Thursday     -2.8ºC    -3.4ºC
Friday          -4.4ºC    -4.7ºC
Saturday       2.8ºC     3.3ºC

On Saturday morning the wind was coming from the south which should warm things up a bit, but it will be quite a while before the soil thaws out completely.

Plants in pots are particularly vulnerable as while the soil is frozen they are in effect suffering drought conditions. So as soon as things thaw, it's worth checking to make sure the soil is moist, and if not, water before the next cold spell comes.

Completely dry all week, but frost every night.and during the day as well sometimes. Bitterly cold especially when it was cloudy or, even worse, foggy (Wednesday and Thursday).

The lowest temperature in our garden was -6.7ºC on Saturday morning, but we have been recording -4º or -5º at least every morning this week. Daytime temperatures haven't been very high either, some days its barely managed to struggle above freezing. Even on Saturday with bright sunshine the thermometer was only showing -1.9ºC at midday. This must be the longest spell of cold weather we've had for some years.

December had well below average rainfall with 94mm on 10 days. This gives a total for the year of 1392mm. We had 182 wet days, most rain in 24 hours was 15th of march with 51mm and the most wet days in a month was in August - the wettest month with 175.5mm.

The driest month was February on 5 days of rain. February gave the longest dry spell, 19 days, but, of course, as it was February, we got frost instead !

We had a dry spell in June - but only 9 days - and we didn't get another until the latter half of September. In fact the most memorable thing about 2008 waas the lack of real Summer. July, August and the beginning of September were wet, the temperatures were lower than expected, certainly no heat wave this year. I can't remember a year when we ate outside so rarely - when it wasn't raining it was too cold.

On the plus side there were no damaging gales. In the vegetable garden or allotment it was a fairly mixed year: the potatoes and tomatoes got blight, but root crops and brassicas did really well. Onions did badly, hit by disease, runner beans were not very prolific - too cold and fewer bees about - but raspberries were the best I can remember - they really enjoyed the cool damp weather. So it's some winners and some losers as usual.

I've no idea what next year will bring really. Less wind from the west, more from the north and east seems to be the trend over the last couple of years. A really good summer would be much appreciated, and, even more wishful thinking, sunny days and showers at night, so no need to lug heavy watering cans about. Anyway a Happy New Year to everyone and may we all get at least some of the weather we want.

The following table lists the last 19 years in order of rainfall starting with the wettest:

1498 mm 2000
1392mm 2008
1370mm 2002
1303mm 2007
1230mm 1994
1225mm 1999
1153mm 2004
1129mm 1993
1104mm 1998
1073mm 2006
1047mm 2001
1027mm 1992
1006mm 2005
 959mm 1997
 954mm 1995
 928mm 2003
 898mm 1990
 881mm 1991
 858mm 1996

As you can see, there is no pattern, so don't ask for any predictions!