In uk.sci.weather on Sat, 4 Jun 2005 at 23:09:42, Philip Eden wrote :

Nov-May is fine if you are discussing the dry spell from
a climatological point of view, but from a hydrological
perspective it should really only be Oct-May.

In any case, local factors can outweigh the national picture :

In April, the Rainfall Anomaly maps suggested that Cheltenham should
have had above average rainfall - but I recorded just 2/3rds

In May, they said it should have been drier than average, but I recorded
a 1/4 more than normal...

From Nov-May, I've recorded just 70% of normal, but for the last 3
months, it's been spot on average.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham