The weather - and its consequences - have been the main newsmakers this week. Despite our full exposure to the west, the weekend gale seems to have left West Malvern fairly unscathed, with damage limited to a few branches down, the odd slate lifted and dustbin lid scattered - plus clearer views in many places as the winds stripped trees and built up piles of leaves in the sheltered corners. The road to Mathon was closed briefly by the fall of a massive beech across the highway at Mathon Court but this was swiftly dealt with and the road re-opened. October has also been notable for its rainfall. At the time of writing, Wednesday morning, it is within a few millimetres of becoming the wettest month for the past ten years, beating the 155mm recorded in September 1999. Oddly, there was almost no rain for the first ten days of the month, but this was followed by a five day spell which produced nearly 100mm (4 inches)! Amidst all this moisture, it seems ironic that part of the village should have been without mains water on Sunday night/Monday morning due to a booster pump failure, with a number of residents drawing emergency supplies from Hay Slad. "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink . . !"