Kitchen Garden Forum

After three hours of torrential rain this morning our river shot up to its highest level since our flood of August 2000. It worried me when it started flowing through the field, but the ducks were mighty pleased at finding a previously unknown watercourse to explore. The third picture is the river the other side of the bank. Fortunately as soon as it stopped raining the level started to drop and now they have only the wild river to use.

Good grief that last picture looks fierce. Glad the ducks had fun.

Makes me glad I live half way up a hill

VPM
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Is Springwatch being filmed near to you as they showed similar scenes?

I think we must have pulled the long straw in the north this time - we have had a run of very pleasant days lately: a little rain, quite a bit of sunshine, albeit lowish temperatures. It's been nothing like as wet as down south and west. Commiserations to anybody who is suffering from the downpours!

Because of the temperatures, there's been a dearth of insects, particularly butterflies and moths, but I am hoping for better things in July.

Want some midges to make up the numbers?

Anything to make the bats happy, Geoff!

vegpatchmum wrote:Good grief that last picture looks fierce. Glad the ducks had fun.

Makes me glad I live half way up a hill

VPM
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Five minutes after I took the third picture another five of my ducks launched themselves into the torrent. They all returned safely for 9 pm bedtime! Togh cookies Welsh ducks!

Could always shelter in one of these (I thought we had a sheds thread but I couldn't find it).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... n-pictures

After a dry winter and a hosepipe ban, personally I was grateful for some rain, though it did get a bit excessive ! Thankfully the last couple of days brought some sunshine in place of grey skies which is needed to sweeten and ripen the fruit. Strawberries have struggled to ripen and the first that did are less sweet than usual so far, and jostaberries and blackcurrants are on the cusp of ripening. Picking a good crop from the autumn sown broad beans now, they struggled through the dry winter but recovered well in the rainy season, beans coming right up to the tips. Weather people said the lows / wet is due to the jet stream not shifting north as usual.

Yesterday at the top of my plot I had the beginnings of a stream draining the primary school field down into the site, its path is still squelchy today. A fencepost set with insufficient postcrete was sat up to the edge of the hole in water, I had to bail it out to add the additional postcrete.

Another good day here, quite sunny and a moderate SE wind, no rain as yet.

The garden looks a treat with oriental poppies, aquilegias from dark purple through pink to white, white and pink dames's violet, lots of red campion, ladies mantle, alliums (or should that be allia?), potentilla, lupins. elderleaved valerian, wild iris, candelabra primulas, yellow and orange Welsh poppies, the first roses .... I think this year's cooler temperatures have kept things fresher for longer. There is always a silver lining, isn't there?

A declining mixture today, sunny at 06:30, some clouds, sunshine, light showers, sunshine, now dark and heavy rain.

If this keeps up perhaps ditches might be a good idea as they do on romney marsh to drain the sheep grazing, that would help the declining aquatic life too, saw a beautiful electric blue damselfly yesterday in the garden !

Changed the diaphragm in the diverter valve in my boiler and needed new gaskets for the pump.Walked to the local suppliers in brilliant sunshine and on the way home was caught in a downpour which,it seems,soaked me through to the skin in five seconds.Sods Law!! Off to my nieces wedding in Hampshire tomorrow and the prayer mat is out in an effort to convince the rain gods to stay away until,at least,we are at the wedding breakfast.

Hope it stays dry for the wedding Snooky, fingers crossed for u all