July drips on

The right half

The left half







I am quite a stoical man, but COME ON!!! How long can it rain for?

The weather today was so wet I even did my paperwork. Movement records and medecine records for the pigs. These can be inspected at any time so best to get them done. But it's not often I can't find something better to do.

I did try for a while to work outside but got absolutely drenched. At least I managed to separate Daisy from the piglets and to mix up wormer for the chickens.

It's all to do with the jet stream, that flow of air across the Atlantic that keeps us warmer than we otherwise would be. If it ever switches, our weather could dramatically change. So, the elephant in the room... has it ever stayed so far south for so long?

And when the sun finally came out today to reveal a beautiful evening I was faced with the choice between slug and weed bashing (perfect weather for these activities) or Andy Murray and Jo Wilfred Tsonga bashing it out on Centre Court.

... After the match, I ventured into the veg patch to do some slug bashing until I discovered that the soil was perfect for pulling weeds. Even the couch grass gave up it's sharp, tapering roots. And without the weeds the slugs have more open ground to cover and fewer damp, shady places to hang out.

I must have managed over an hours work outside when the rain came again. I soldiered on until I glanced behind me to see the most amazing double rainbow spanning the sky. A sprint for the camera, but I missed the best of it. If only there were really a pot of gold at the base!

Beautiful as they are, I'm feeling very ambivalent about rainbows right now. For they are invariably accompanied by rain. On the flip-side, they are invariably accompanied by at least a little sunshine.

Friday 6th July 2012
A fourth month of rain continues unabated.