HIS YEAR we’ve been wringing our hands, in more ways than one, as a result of the unprecedented wet autumn, winter and spring. In 2023, here in the comparatively dry East Midlands, 6in (150mm) more rain fell than in a ‘normal’ year and exactly 4in (100mm) last February. There was still standing water in the meadows by the River Nene in late April. In spring, the plaintive cry of “Oh, the poor farmers” could be heard
