Climate change - or not

I was much looking forward to encountering Mont-Saint-Michel, not from the point of view of a pilgrim, or even a namesake, but simply to observe a sedimentary drama that is in the process of being rewritten, restaged, restored. So, on arriving in the delightful town of Avranches (and having, after visiting Utah Beach, admired the prominent memorial in Avranches to General Patton, and the sentiment that lay behind its existence), I ventured to the botanical gardens from where a panoramic view over the bay was promised. What I had forgotten was that, by simply crossing the English Channel, I had not left English weather behind - the word “perturbation” is one of those that is the same in French and English, and, when it comes to the weather, is highly descriptive. Soaked and dripping, I arrived at the viewpoint, which had, in addition to redundant telescopes, one of those very informative panoramic displays whose informative value depends entirely on good visibility. The image above is what I saw, the image below what I was hoping to see. Things did later improve somewhat - the rain paused; I’m not talking of bursts of glorious sunshine but I did dry out a bit. The story will continue …