[suziequeue]

 


I am getting SO FED UP with this effing rain (mid-Wales). Sometimes the weather forecast makes it look like it is JUST raining on us here in Llanidloes 


The soil - heavy clay at the best of times - is absolutely saturated and everywhere squelches. Springs have sprung up everywhere. I go out clad head to toe in rubber-based textiles..... anybody would think I had a fetish.


I seem to spend my entire time "tidying up" the land around the house. We are undergoing major re-landscaping now after rebuilding our house but the resulting mess is demoralising.


We want to grow veg in our middle field but the ground is so wet. Little streams appear wherever I dig. Getting the field properly drained is a major focus in 2013 if we can afford it.


Rant over

[lachlanandmarcus]

If its any consolation our normally dry place (well draining sandy soil on granite and no watercourses) is also squelchy!!! and has three springs just randomly bubbling out of the ground in one of the horses fields, which has been unknown in the 60 years the previous owners knew the place.........
....but you are forgiven for it getting you down, it is everyone I think -just trying to cope til it gets better tho sadly gales and snow are our lot in the forecast :--))
 

[Pedwardine]

I sympathise SQ. We're in Lincolnshire and on clay also. OH had started digging for a yard at the back of our cart store so we had better facilities for 2013 lambing. The resulting mounds of earth to climb or deep squelchy clay to get stuck in are very exhausting when it's already difficult with the wet. Elsewhere on our 'field' (once upon a time it WAS a field) there are what I can only describe as lakes which were never there before. The sheep are standing ankle deep in the mud constantly, I get my wellies stuck and have to be pulled out, changes of clothes is constant as the rain is incessant and despite efforts to be impervious against it, it still seeps in enough to feel cold and miserable. Dogs are always dirty and wet. It's like the bloody Somme.

[tizaala]

A few days dry in March then a week dry in October is all we have seen this year.
So depressing , make you want to sit in a bath of cold water with the toaster while listening to the Smiths and watching Eastenders. 

[SallyintNorth]

It so ain't just Llanidloes, SQ! 

Reading everyone's posts does remind me to be very very grateful that our ground is peaty here.  It gets squelchy and slippery, the ponies are up to their fetlocks a lot of the time (which is a worry), the tractor can't go anywhere mostly and we can't travel most of the Fell even on the quads at the moment - but at least we're not on clay.  I lived in Wiltshire for many years and well remember the ton of clay that built up on your boots over really not very many footsteps.  Hereabouts at least your foot comes out clean when you do manage to lift it away from the suction.

We never had a week to make hay last year.  The one 5-day window we did have, we couldn't cut all the ground we wanted as we knew we couldn't get it all baled - the contractors were spread far too thin.  We made precisely 58 small bales, and a hundred or so big round bales but everything else had to be silage.  And most of that got late and wet, damaging the fields baling and fetching it in.

There're silage bales waiting in fields we can't get to - we don't need that silage yet, but we did want the field for the ponies to have a change of scene around about now.  Can't be done, so they're getting hay in their swamp.  We haven't got enough small bale hay to last, so pretty soon I'm going to be wrestling with swathes off the large round bales - not fun.

It so could be worse, though, and we just have to hold onto that.  That, and the old one about weather coming in 7-year cycles - which means one more wet one and then hopefully it'll change...

[Possum]

No, you're wrong Suziequeue. The rain doesn't target Llanidloes. My OH has been telling me for months that it always heads straight for us in Somerset. We moved here in April and it has done nothing but rain ever since.


The squelchiness of the land makes it really difficult to do anything outside, and there is so much that needs doing!

[doganjo]

Not even just in Wales - Central Scotland is clay, wet and miserable too.  I've decided raised beds on a hardcore and gravel base is the only way to grow anything here. Next job is to net them all so the pigeons don't nick everything!   

[suziequeue]

So great to hear it's not just me then   


I have started to take it personally and feel that we've failed somehow:
 
*     failed to get the land properly drained (on our "if we win the lottery" list!)
*     failed to really notice when we bought the property that it was on the north side of a hill on heavy clay
*     failed to use our common sense re: growing veg (i.e. DON'T DO IT!!!)
*     failed to carry on regardless and not let the weather get me down.


Mind you - we have just had a really good morning chipping the brash from last month's hedge laying efforts with only a couple of small showers.


Am now off to cut the yellow leaves off the cabbages. 

[Sylvia]

Come to Sunny Devon where it rains eight days out of seven! I have a large shed ordered to fill with straw to put wet,muddy dogs in until clean and dry. Why didn't I think of that before
The only thing we can do is endure. Spring WILL come and dry sunny weather, then all this will be behind us and we'll be praying for rain
Not long to go now so, collective chins up and best feet forward to Spring

[the great composto]

and just imagine if you weren't a smallholder with all these trifles that bother you it could be worse(yes really).........   

For example you could be siting in an townie shoebox looking out of the window at the rain wishing you were a smallholder...

[goosepimple]

   brilliant, well said.  We're up to the eyeballs in it too and I have questioned my lifestyle, but the grass isn't greener on the other side when there isn't any grass 

[Rosemary]

The grass isn't greener on the other side when there isn't any grass 

I like that - a lot 

It's wet here - on the dry east side. But it's draining slowly - I can see the grass again, under the water.

[LouiseG]

It's very wet in suffolk too.    but you're right spring is on its way and the days are starting to lengthen   remember we all do this for the rewards it brings not because it's the easiest life we could live.

[RUSTYME]

I am so pissed off with this rain , words can't express , well they can , but even i am running out of swear words .
I am nearly permanently wet , up to my arse in shite and mud and if summer came in ten minutes time i would still be cheesed off .
But today i was feeding the dogs at 4.30pm and it was still daylight ! A week ago it was nigh on pitch black at that time .
Just those few extra minutes of daylight make so much difference . It won't stop me moaning about the rain , but at least i won't be tempted to sit in the bath with the toaster etc as Doug said . Mind you , i haven't got a bath . Still , standing in the f ecking yard , knee deep in liquid crap would have the same result .
The other day i got so wet i had to empty my wellies 3 times on the walk home from the land .
Another day i lost my rag whilst pulling tiny , stupid , poxy , arseholing handfulls of haylage , when the obvious happened , one handful came out easy , i slipped and went arse over tit straight into a puddle of liquid mud .
In my wellies , down my neck , up my arse , in my ears , it went everywhere . Woops oh dear , i went f ecking  mental ! Not a good day .
Coat , jeans , wellies knickers , the lot , washed in the river and back on .
God , what a ghastly pic that would have been .
 I am sure the horses were smirking when i came back up from the river , bastards .
Yes it has to stop raining soon , but it is STILL RAINING NOW !!!
Just going for a walk with the toaster , the Smiths are on the radio , bom bom , bom bom bom bom . Bzzzzzzzzzzzz .
Bugger , even that didn't work , the leccy went off !

[Ina]

Oh dear - compared to your problems mine are minimal.

It really annoys me  that even now I keep finding slugs in my kitchen... Don't know how they manage to squeeze in under the door, but they do.  Better check that they aren't eating the last of my chard and kale out there!