Sizzling Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Primrose]

Probably not unpleasant being out in the garden watering in the evening when the temperatures have dropped and the sun has disappeared over the horizon.

We have a very hot breeze here at the moment which is marginally better than totally still air which feels asphyxiating. . In fact the breeze is so strong it has just triggered the automatic wind sensor on our retractable sun awning which has just rolled itself away. First time it has done that. We were beginning to wonder it it actually worked so nice to know that it does !

[Westi]

We've just had a shower - 2 actually! 1st wasn't enough to join up the drops on the dirt, but it was followed with a 2nd sharper but shorter length shower! I reckon maybe a whole mm if lucky. Nice timing for me as I had just finished watering so didn't just run off the beds. And I've just got a 3rd 2 minute sharp shower. Not enough on their own but if they continue for a while it will make a big difference!

And yes! I have been standing out in it; well the first one anyway! Thought of having a wee jig but neighbour was taking his washing in! Someone told me at lottie it is our 58th day without rain today - feels longer than that to me though, but nearly 8 weeks is pretty impressive for around here.

[Monika]

Rumbling and grumbling here but no rain yet .....

[Westi]

I hope you get some Monika! It's left here now so hopefully it will last long enough to reach you! Twas not spectacular but gratefully received - a bit like socks for Xmas disappointed at the time, but grateful when you get holes in your old ones & have a new spare pair in the drawer!

[robo]

The forecast i use is promising rain on Saturday but I go away for two weeks tomorrow so I will miss it but a local forecast on my kindle says rain at seven o'clock it is getting very dark and cloudy

[PLUMPUDDING]

We've just had a mini thunderstorm. Four good rumbles of thunder, one flash of lighting and rain for about 2 minutes totalling 0.4mm. Disappointed again.

[Primrose]

Now I think we,re all beginning to understand what it must be like to live in the droughts of Africa where everybody looks at their parched crops, skeletal cattle with nothing to eat and looking anxiously at the skies for the promised rain which never comes.
If it gets a few more people thinking seriously at how better we manage the resources on our planet it will have been a valuable lesson learned.

Meanwhile the threat of thunder and rain at midnight here seems to be disappearing faster than a snowball in the heat of summer. I can,t sleep at night because of the heat but if I,m woken tonight by the sound of rain thrashing down I won,t be complaining.

[oldherbaceous]

We certainly missed the predicted rain last night....feels very warm already.....and where have the light mornings suddenly gone, suppose that's them gone until next year.

[retropants]

no rain for us last night either, and it is supposed to be raining all day here too, but it's just blueskies as far as the eye can see.

[peter]

Is it just me, or, is it quieter outdoors at present than Christmas Day?

Tidying up after finishing shed construction and took a new bit of weed membrane up to my concrete shed on the allotments, folded on the path & stowed it. Collected barrow and took eight mini pallets up as membrane weights for next year.
Our site runs along a park, there's a cycleway running past & play area thirty foot from the main gate and a pair of five a side goalposts thirty foot from the back gate, not a soul to be heard never mind seen.

Now sat indoors in front of a fan and dripping, next job is varnishing plywood lining of shed. Insulated and lined it is cooler in the shed extension than the house., but fan needed indoors for dog.

[Gerry]

A number of showers last night and it has poured down all day today. Temp in tunnel was only 15c at mid-day. I have been glad, this year, that when I built the tunnel, about fifteen years ago, I decided to put the green debris netting all round the lower three feet.

[Monika]

Oh, Gerry, lucky you! We had 2mm last night (all dried up by the morning) but the weekend looks 'promising'. Strange, isn't it, to say the weekend looks 'promising' would have meant lovely sunshine and warmth this spring, but at the moment it means rain.
A plus for this summer: we have never had a better harvest of climbing French beans (Cobra) and runner beans (Moonlight) than this year.

[retropants]

We've just had a ten minute shower, it has now stopped, not sure if we will be getting any more this eve?

[Stephen]

Thunder storms in both Berkhamsted and London. I wonder how much penetrated the ground?

[MattW]

Still no rain in north Shropshire. Think it will be floods.com due to how hard the ground it