Rain, water out of the sky, and even more rain

Paul Simon's column in The Times, 'Weather Eye', is always worth a read. Commenting on the recent flooding, following a so called drought last winter (a lower than average rainfall) the late spring, summer and autumn in the UK have been extremely wet, so much so it has been dispiriting to gardeners and the outdoor pursuits in general – even postmen. Reservoirs are swishing with so much water the BBC refuses to mention it in case we remember all that scare mongering they were broadcasting just a few months ago. The Times line on CAGW is typical of the media at large, even printing a cool piece on shale gas yesterday, the 8th. That probably has more to do with their investments in renewables than it does in cold logic and let's not forget, after the heat wave of 1976 it didn't stop raining for months. Paul Simon picks out another year for comparison, 1852. This year had a wet summer and wet autumn just like this year, 2012. In 1852 November flooding left Oxford marooned in a sea of water and the Vale of Gloucester was likened to a vast inland lake as so many fields were flooded. Is this weather weirding or just the British climate?