20.4mm here from 17:00 hrs yesterday to 09:00hrs today. It was a wet enough evening, but more fell after midnight than before. The ponds in the village have overflowed onto the Chelmsford Road, which is not unusual (happens once or twice, most years), but it is a fairly good indicator that we've had more rain than usual.

We often suffer from the east of London rainfall shadow but this time it looks as if the rain was fairly evenly spread across most of the south of England.

Sparkling morning, ATM. I've an old (1953) MG which I've taken a year or two to restore, spending more money than I dare tell my wife. Looks as if it'll get its last run of the summer season this weekend, although to keep the engine running free I do wheel it the odd winter weekend, when it's dry enough and I can be sure the roads haven't been salted.

Even though I've fitted a period heater, that can be a perishing old experience. Our fathers were obviously made of tougher stuff than some of us realise!

- Tom.

Blackmore, SW Essex.