After a very wet night it's a truly appalling morning here with a strong westerly blowing yet more rain across the valley.  The river is in full spate and even at nine thirty last evening as we returned from a ruby in Settle (which included a spicy South Uist brown trout) with friends Settle weir was a dark brown foam flecked torrent.  The forecast is for less severe weather tomorrow and Saturday so even though the wind is likely to be fairly strong water levels should drop off enough to make salmon fishing viable.

I was planning to go over to Whitby today to collect some runner ducks, but the prospect of crossing the broad acres in this weather fills me with some gloom so I think the ducks will have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday for a journey westwards.  You would not believe the trouble I have had trying to find four Indian runner ducks.  Since my last flock ended up as a fox supper a couple of years ago I have searched the web for replacements.  The nearest breeder I found is just north of Whitby hence the trek east.  I have rather missed having these elegant yet rather comical creatures roaming the garden.  They keep the veg plot clear of the vast hoard of slugs and snails that invade from the surrounding meadows and pastures and provide wonderfully rich eggs.  Mind you the last bunch trashed the pond in fairly short order.  They seem drawn to mud like iron to a magnet and their chosen role in life seemed to be to transport as much clart from the garden into the pond as physically possible.