Wet wet wet

I usually refuse to complain about the rain in Vancouver. It's grey and gentle and cozy, I maintain. I like the look of warm yellow houselights shining through the rain at twilight, of great purple-grey clouds half-hiding the North Shore mountains. But by the end of last month, after near-daily rainfall, even I was beginning to get irritable.

Then, as if to emphasize that we have no say in such things at all, it really began to rain. On March 28, from morning to night, the rain drew straight lines to the earth, bounced off the sidewalks, made rivers out of streets. It was the wettest March 28 in 61 years, a deluge of 29.6 millimetres compared to 25.1 in 1956.

The month ended with more than 200 millimetres of precipitation -- the third wettest since 1937. Strangely, our moistest Marches have been exactly 10 years apart lately: the record was set in 1997, with 240 millimetres, followed by 2007, with 215 millimetres. At least we're headed in the right direction.

The rain gods are relenting now, but the city still has a sodden feel. Here are some photos of the aftermath of our wet, wet March:

The day after our March 28 deluge, the entrance to Camosun bog was showing the impact of the previous day's rain. Usually,  the area beside the path is dry. 

A closer look at the ditch by the Camosun path. It looks idyllic for the frog population.

This section by the boardwalk is often dry; the whole bog has become more like a lake.

Another view of the boardwalk and the water around it.

The volume of water draining from this outlet was so great that it was swirling and bubbling as it went down. Usually there is no water here at all.

The extra water was even apparent from the West Vancouver seawall, where a creek going into the ocean was flowing faster than usual. 

Landscaping with this soggy wet soil won't be much fun. This is part of a boulevard being installed in the Dunbar area on Saturday. 

Memorial West Park at 33rd and Dunbar doesn't usually have a lake, but now it does, right beside the play area for kids.

On the other hand, the plus side of all that rain is that the grass is growing lush and fast. This is my back yard in the sunshine on Saturday. The bird baths are full.

The rain has also meant some luxurious growth for perennials. I photographed this happy rhododendron a couple of days ago.

Rain, plus a good dose of sun, brought these crocuses to their best.