THE recent heavy rain and high humidity has provoked the usual tripe about our changing weather.

One television presenter was heard to blithely say what happened in Boscastle this week was going to happen on a regular basis in the future because Britain's climate was getting warmer and wetter.

This earth-shattering statement was not attributed to any authoritative source. It's amazing how an opinion can be become a fact if it is said often enough.

It is fair to say there is a continuing debate about the extent of global warming and how it will affect us. But 10 days of wet and thundery weather in August does not add up to permanent climate change.

Park and ride

A POSTSCRIPT to parking problems in Spectator's otherwise beloved Whitby.

Following last week's little tirade, a reader rings in to advise that there is a sizeable car park operated by English Heritage close by the historic abbey.

Scrutiny of an A to Z map confirms that this is so, and Spectator takes it on board seeing that we are in nautical territory here. Further deliberation suggests, however, that such an option would be little better than parking on the West Cliff for the elderly, the short-winded or the less able-bodied whose preferred position would be somewhere near the town centre.

As a last resort, what about a park and ride system which seems to have proved so successful in that other tourist honeypot, York, whose long distance postcode was imposed on Whitby?

Too honest?

HAVING reached the requisite age, a colleague of Spectator pitched up at the local railway station's travel centre to apply for the over 60s railcard. It's so simple. Fill in a form; prove your age, pay 20 quid and the card, with its discounts, is yours. It was, however, a surprise to one familiar only with providing the wherewithal for the family's young persons' railcards, not to be asked for a photo for the card. They aren't needed apparently. There must either be a feeling that anyone qualifying for an oldies' railcard will look the part, or that oldies are too honest to let a friend borrow it.

Spotted

WAS Spectator the only viewer to spot local lad Daniel Casey, formerly of Midsomer Murders, wearing a firefighter's helmet in an ITV trailer for what looked like the Teesside equivalent of London's Burning? Spectator awaits something called Steel River Blues, transmission date as yet unannounced, with much interest.