All Saints

         All Saints church at Harbridge, seen across fields that have been flooded by the Hampshire Avon river.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/30 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 50. Lee 0.6 ND grad and 81B filters. Tripod and remote release



© 2020

Nearly there...

Now that the weather appears to have calmed down somewhat, I felt it was time to visit a local nature reserve and see if there were any further signs of spring. Crocus and snowdrops have been around for a while now; daffodils are starting to bloom, while insect activity has never really stopped this winter, such has been the mildness of the season, but I wanted to see what else was beginning to emerge.

Unfortunately, flooding is still causing problems, and most of the paths running alongside the Dorset Stour (above), were submerged, making access to parts of the reserve difficult, if not impossible. However, in the small sections I was able to gain access to, I noted that hawthorne was beginning to flower, and catkins were hanging from tree branches. The showery weather was responsible for the wonderful sky in the photograph.

Nearly there.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8.  - 0.67 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2014

Through the gap...

It has been the wettest start to the year in the UK for 200 years, the TV man tells me on the 6 o'clock news, and I believe him. There has been more poor weather today - although nothing like storm conditions where I am - and it is estimated that if it stops raining now then there will still be flooding for the next three to six months. There is more rain on the way.

There are days of respite, at least if you want to be outdoors, and today has a feel of spring about it. It is far from cold - despite the brisk wind - and the days are growing noticeably longer, and for the first time this year the setting sun shines through a gap between nearby buildings onto where I sit and work.



70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/1250 second at f/5.6. ISO 320



© 2014

Since 1979...

"A lot of weather we've been having lately", said Oliver Hardy to the Sheriff''s wife in Way Out West, and I echo that sentiment. An inch (25mm) of rain has fallen during the past 24 hours, and a severe flood warning is again in place on the Dorset Stour. A local riverside park has been inundated three times in the past ten days as the waterway remains in flood, with some residents losing everything. It has worsened since the weekend, and a high spring tide just after noon exacerbated the situation. Several locals I speak to say it hasn't been this bad here since 1979.

The river is not tidal at this point, but all that water entering the local harbour forces the water to back-up, resulting in closed roads, sightseers, and TV crews aplenty. It rains heavily several times whilst I'm recording the event for posterity (photograph), and if the water levels rise above the arches of Iford Old Bridge in the background then the water has nowhere to go except back upstream, causing more mayhem.

An idea of just how much water is now flowing through the area can be judged in the top photo in this post, which is of the same bridge a month ago. It will take quite some time before river levels return to normal, as water is still draining into the Stour from hills and fields along the 55 miles that is still upstream.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 320



© 2014

Little chance, and getting worse...

Although there is seemingly no end in sight for the continual bad weather in the UK, at least the flood warning on the Dorset Stour has been lifted. That's as may be, but the flooding has already happened and likely to get worse as more rain arrives during the morning. This is unwelcome news to a local riverside home park, with more than 100 residents having been evacuated because of the rising river and little chance of them returning before Monday.

I had intended to walk the distance to make some photographs of the freshet, as the wind was still strong, but a lull in the conditions encourages me to ride instead. I arrive at the location - along with a fresh bout of rain - dodge two TV crews that are reporting at the scene - and get shooting. The floodwaters have dropped slightly since yesterday, and the earthwork defences are doing their job, but the actual river normally flows beyond the trees in the photograph, which illustrates the extent of the problem.



12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/8. + 0.67 EV cpmpensation. ISO 640



© 2014