Surf's up

[Graham W]

Here's a webcam photo of the car park at Lake Bala.  The lake is currently 1.25m higher than the upper end of its normal range for extreme conditions and still rising.

[Matthew P]

So what's the water level on Koka Lake Graham?

Matthew

[Graham W]

I haven't been to that one yet.  Like most freshwater lakes out here, it's almost certainly infected with Bilharzia, caused by a nasty snail-borne parasite.  The leaves of a certain indigenous bush which are used as a foaming agent for washing clothes, were found to kill said snails and are now also used for treating the disease.

If you want to avoid Bilharzia and can't be bothered to wash your own clothes, I recommend these people.

[Matthew P]

Graham, wasn't it a rare bread of water snail at Bala that caused a planning hiatus for the new pontoon at the sailing club?  Perhaps Ethiopian foaming-agent bushes could have solved the problem.  No known cases of Bala Bilharzia to date.

Matthew

[Graham W]

i'd forgotten about the Bala gastropod - wasn't it called the Mucous Snail or something equally cuddly?

I've always wanted to form a skiffle group called Bill Harzia and the Lazy Man's Blues Band.

It looks like Bala has peaked at around 3.3m, way above its normal winter level.

[jonno]

Graham, this skiffle group of yours, what would you play?

[jonno]

Graham, this skiffle group of yours, what would you play?

[Graham W]

As I don't have much other use for it these days, the comb.

[Rob Johnstone]

Don't forget the paper.

[Graham W]

Bala car park is still looking a bit moist.

[Graham W]

Compare the photo above, from the Bala webcam last winter, to the current drier view.

[Reg Barker]

Graham, the last photo - was that when you able to do beach-combing?!

[Graham W]

It probably helps scientists searching for the endangered Glutinous Snail (a Bala speciality) but not much use for sailing, unfortunately.

[Graham W]

The Bala car park is looking a bit moist again today.

[Graham W]

And again - the lake level is 1.5m higher than the normal maximum.