After another ten hours of near torrential rain yesterday, I was beside myself. Why had I chosen to live in Norfolk? It was supposed to be the ‘Driest county in England’, but after seven years, I had seen more rain that in the previous sixty years of my life. There was no getting away from it, all this rain was making me unhappy, bordering on depression. I was beginning to hate my life in this world of water.

The new guttering was unable to cope with the relentless downpours, so the whole property was awash. Then I discovered that the shed had flooded again, so by the time it came to have to take Ollie for his walk, I would just have soon hanged myself from our oak tree, in all honesty. I really had seen enough. The end of my tether didn’t even get close to conveying my mood, which was darker than dark. Black, in fact.

But Ollie has to go out.

I dressed for the weather, with a waterproof coat, and heavy rubber boots. I added an umbrella, to keep off the worst of the downpours.

Ten minutes into my walk, and Ollie was saturated. Even with the umbrella, I was having a hard job even keeping remotely dry. The ground was wet and muddy, the river had burst its banks and overflowed onto the paths. If I lived in America and owned a handgun, I would have shot myself, with a smile on my face as I collapsed to the ground.

Halfway round Beetley Meadows, I spotted a fellow dog-walker. I know him, and his delightful tiny dog, Lola. Ollie trotted off to see them, and I finally caught up. Lola was also saturated, her short coat of fur was a mass of damp curls. But as always, she jumped up onto my leg for strokes and cuddles, and licked my hand and face.

I walked alongside my neighbour for a while, bemoaning my fate. I told him how I was so fed up with the rain, that our shed had flooded, and that my mood was so low, there was no level that could describe it.

He told me that he was having just a short walk with Lola, as she was such a tiny dog, she didn’t need too much exercise. When I mentioned that I had to keep Ollie out for at least two hours, to tire him out, he nodded.

I repeated my complaints about the relentless rain as he walked away. He turned and smiled, his local upbringing showing through his wry grin.

“It’s just weather. That’s all it is”.

I wish I could be like that, I really do.