It's official!

The meteorological Office has just released Plymouth's rainfall figures for the month of August.

Those of us who have been here throughout were not surprised to find out that the city has had 

MORE THAN TWICE THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL.

There is only one answer. 

CREATE YOUR OWN MICRO CLIMATE.

Bring the sun to your balcony.

Glass!!

Glass!! is one of my favourite galleries in the city. 

It is opposite the old Customs House, on The Parade, in the historic Barbican area.

It is one of two Glass!! Galleries, in this area, the other being in the beautiful Devon town of Dartmouth, 

about 35 miles along the coast from Plymouth at the mouth of the river Dart.

Bisection

Straight down the middle

One man and his dog.

Fetch !

A thin red line.

Survivors of the storm.

This family found a sheltered spot, where they hoped they would be able to sunbathe and maybe have a swim.

Or perhaps they had struggled to safety from a shipwreck and collapsed exhausted on the deserted shore.

The Mount Wise Lido

Even though it was a beautiful afternoon there were not many people using this area 

of the Mount Wise Lido complex.Lido.

Closing Down.

Like most other towns and cities in the UK, Plymouth's shopping centre has seen a worryingly high number of shops, both large and small, forced to close their doors as the economic situation has worsened.










This empty department store closed last year with the loss of hundreds of jobs.









But at least its large, street level, display windows are providing interesting new "gallery" space for local artists in a very wide range of disciplines.

Applied Mathematics

A tower crane working on the latest phase of the Millbay Dock Development.

Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon.

Or in this case, cruising up the River Tamar. 

Passing the village of Cremyll and the entrance to Mt. Edgecombe Country Park, opposite Plymouth,

 in beautiful calm weather last Sunday afternoon.

Click Here for a "blast from the past". 

The soundtrack to such a day out from the 1950s.

I dare you.

It's OK! there's nothing down there.

                                                                   Just go for it!

That was really scary. 

I tell you it is this big

Flavour Fest (2)

A little bit of Spanish colour helps to brighten the Piazza on a rainy British day. 

Flavour Fest (1)

The appalling weather kept a lot of people away from the Flavour Fest on the Piazza (see yesterday's post), but for those who braved the rain there was a chance to check out some very high quality local fare.

 Here is a great combination - Scrumptious Pies and Prize Winning Cider.

Grumpies 

Ashridge Cider  

British Summer Weather ....

...... strikes again!

So far this summer nearly every outdoor event  has been affected by rain.

Yesterday it was the turn of the city's annual Flavour Fest, a three day celebration of the area's superb produce from land and sea, providing a showcase for the innovative food producers of the region who are gaining a growing reputation with their modern take on traditional specialities, and animated by practical demonstrations by talented local chefs whose reputation is attracting increasing numbers of tourists to the region.

  

The driving rain kept the normal crowds away from the tented village on the Piazza.

It was a long, slow day for many stall holders.

LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!

On Wednesday the swell in Plymouth Sound was higher than usual, as the wind was gusting strongly.

These two boys scrambled away just in time to avoid get soaked or dragged off their perch. 

Topless Driving

Because we had had so few really hot, sunny days so far this summer, 

whenever the sun does come out so do the convertibles.

Don't listen ....

 ......... because I'm going to tell my dad a secret.

Talk to the hand.

Synchronised Swimming.

Walkies.

On a beautiful summer's day .......

 ........ I like to sit quietly by the sea and watch the world go by.

But most of all I like to do it with a large glass of Chardonnay in the company of my loved ones.

Then I like a little nap.

Save some for me.

You are never far from a pigeon or a seagull in Plymouth, especially if you are eating a pasty.

A room with a view.

Looking out from The China House onto Sutton Harbour, in the Barbican district of Plymouth.

A quiet summer morning on the River Lynher.

So close to the city yet so quiet and peaceful. 

Diving

The people in Plymouth are very proud indeed of Tom Daley and Tonia Couch, two local divers taking part in the Olympic Games in London at the moment.

Their exploits from the high boards are dangerous enough, but when transferred to the cliffs and rocky outcrops along Plymouth's waterfront they can be lethal, particularly on entry to the dark water where hidden rock outcrops are common.

This chap got away with his "backward"dive, close to the face of the rocks. 

Tomb-stoning

Every summer the local news media report the injury, sometimes very serious injury, to some young man who miscalculated the depth of the water or the position of underwater rocks, while "Tomb-stoning" from one of the high-points along the waterfront.