The start of summer 2014 was marked by reasonably fine and warm weather. Will it last?

Well it did through the second week, which was, for the most part, warm and bright. It didn't manage to last through the weekend unfortunately.

The week leading up to the solstice was initially cloudy and rather breezy but got progressively warmer, and the solstice weekend itself was dry, warm with plenty of sun. I was in Wiltshire and celebrated the longest day with an early morning picture of a train, the 6A11 from Robeston to Theale, which for much of the year runs under the cover of darkness.

The final week of June saw a gradual breakdown of the fine weather leading up to a wet and windy weekend, in Norfolk at least.

July brought a return to the fine weather and some opportunities of early morning shots on my way to work, before, yet again, it broke down for the weekend :-(

Week commencing 7th July was an all DBS week in picture terms. The following week turned into the hottest of the year so far and culminated in some violent thunderstorms. I took a few pictures on my way too and from work.

Apart from my three days in Slovakia the remainder of July was solely pictures taken too and from work, as was the first week of August too.

August 9th was rather different, thanks to the Hammersmith & City 150th celebrations, an 86 and an 87 at King's Cross, a pair of 56s on the 6V62 Tilbury to Llanwern, the Caledonian Sleepers on the ECML and a diverted GBRf intermodal too. The latter, running late, was bowled at Ally Pally by a pair of 313s on the 17:57 arrival from Welwyn Garden City :-(

From August 10th the weather deteriorated courtesy of Hurricane Bertha. On the 12th I had the day off and cycled from home in North London to Acton, Headstone Lane and home again via Edgware.

On the 17th there was steam on the Metropolitan again, this time between Rickmansworth and Chesham, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the opening of the railway to Chesham in the summer of 1889.