Not a white Christmas...

At last the Christmas shopping is over!! Pete and I made an early foray to gather in the turkey and other remaining groceries and I'm now avoiding any more shops for a few days. The supermarket was busy, but everyone was in a good mood - I suspect that this good humour might have evaporated over the course of the day, as the crowds built up.

The weather wass dry and mild for once, so we took Rosie out. Once again our usual walks are largely flooded so we took a different route and walked along Alwalton Staunch, which overlooks the Nene flood-plain. The flood water extended all along the valley, but for much of the walk trees screened the view.

We made our way down to the river edge and walked back along an unflooded stretch of riverside path. Our slow, lazy lowland river had transformed into a raging brown torrent - it's very rare to actually hear the river flowing here - spilling over onto the adjacent meadows and engulfing hedges and trees.

The unceasing rain has caused flooding all over the country, especially in the west of England and Wales, where major rail routes have been affected and communities have been forced to leave their homes. I feel so sad for all those affected, at what should be a joyous time of year when families gather together.

Ben and I started preparations for the Christmas feast by making marzipan and blueberry cakes (a bit sweet, but very delicious), peppermint creams and rose creams. Tomorrow is our main cooking day, and I suspect I shan't be leaving the house, as more heavy rain is forecast...