[Roxy]

Rained hard all night, and then torrential rain this evening.  Where  the hens have walked around, plus the goats, the llama etc. ....its made it very muddy.  I was slipping and sliding tonight - managed to stay upright -just!!

As for the pig pen ....well, we will pass on that one. Although the two pigs do not seem to mind it at all!!

Need it to go frosty now, to dry everywhere up.

[little blue]

tell me about it!
We have been trying to fit an irrigation/drainage system that (hopefully!) will drain the water from the ducks' pond way away from where it was previously flooding the ground & sometimes the chicken sheds
  The pipe work is brilliant ... but the trench has stayed filled with water as its rained every day since!  And we haven't dug the final bit that will send the water away down the bank.
And its all bloomin' clay, so the further you dig, the worse it gets!

[Roxy]

I went in the pig pen to put some fresh straw down  - hardly worth it, they tramp in, with their muddy feet, and the straw ends up black, but never mind - anyway, the mud sucked my wellies in, and I was struggling to walk.  How the pigs manage with their little trotters I don;t know!!  Going to move them to a fresh patch of grass, but that will be mud within a short time

[little blue]

I know that feeling too - you hardly know when you've done their straw!

And I have holes in my wellies - only a problem when the mud or water is of a certain depth!

[ambriel]

That's the trouble we have, too. Our soil is very peaty and despite being on a slope it doesn't drain at all.

I built the boys a new house a couple of weeks ago but they seem to prefer sleeping on the hay pile - probably because they don't need to trudge through the mud to get to it.

[robert waddell]

o you softy southerners we have had this weather since may

[Roxy]

Well, you are welcome to take our weather and mud, and us soft southerners will be more than happy then

I can stand cold, and frost .....but heavy rain and mud do my head in!!

[robert waddell]

no i would rather you take our rain and mud and we get some decent weather for once

[little blue]

o you softy southerners

hardly.....   

[Rosemary]

We've had our first frost this morning - had to go and look out the wooly hats and gloves. It's going to be a beautiul day though

[TheCaptain]

Well, you are welcome to take our weather and mud, and us soft southerners will be more than happy then

I can stand cold, and frost .....but heavy rain and mud do my head in!!

Hear! Hear! I've had my fill of mud!

Frost please!

[Mel Rice]

We had our first hard frosts well over a wek ago..The tiny currant toms fruit seemed to survive that too. Now its too windy for frost and we could actually do with a bit of rain I could with the 'well' filling up to the tpp before it frezzes on the surface as then it gets a long way down to hoist the water(and smash the ice1)

[Sylvia]

I know most folk think I'm mad but I actually enjoy working in the rain. What I can't stand is the heat I wilt (like the delicate flower I am ) and can't function.
I spent a few hours yesterday foot-following the South Devon hunt ,slipped and slithered in the mud,went up on my bum a few times, got soaked to the skin and thoroughly enjoyed myself
I also enjoy frosty weather, you just have to work a bit harder to keep warm and even the snow is enjoyable if you have a hot bath and a warm house to look forward to.
Our land is clay and shale which means it drains fairly quickly. The pigs are happy, they have two acres of gentle slope so don't muddy the field up too much. The Landy does the most damage, churning up the grass. It all grows back though.

[Fowgill Farm]

Well its mizzle drizzle here today i'm on my 3rd change of clothes and coats, have moved fatteners to new pen as there old one is just inches of mud slurry, given the sodden weather we've had the past few days be interesting to see how long before they trash this pen!
Have decided to bring the big pigs into their winter housing, normally i aim to have them out clock change to clock change so we've managed an extra week, their pens are on clay and with their heavy weights they're starting to poach the ground terribly, but saying that its so mild we still have our neighbours heifers in our other field as theres still plenty of grass on, normally they're long gone indoors by now.
Inside now having a well earned cup of coffeee after pig moving and cleaning down the gren algae scum off the yards prior to housing, back is killing, i will pay later... off to do some housework as OH has gone shooting  so gives me a chance to get some jobs done without him under my feet
bring on the cold and dry weather, i hate rain and wind and the resulting mud!
Mandy