It goes on a bit, doesn't it?

The Duke of Medina Sedonia probably hoped that strength and strategy would bring victory to the Spanish Armada in 1588 but it was the English stormy weather that helped to defeat his Spanish galleons.  He came up with the phrase: ‘Rain, rain, go away.’ My thoughts exactly.

I have tried to stay positive and not moan about the rain because we gardeners depend on it to keep the plot bountiful, the grass green and the reservoirs full.  Also, I have always felt there is a certain romance to rain.  As a child, I remember sitting in a caravan on a windswept campsite, reading my Enid Blyton book and listening to the pitter patter of the rain on the roof.  It made me feel cosy and safe inside, especially if there was a mug of cadbury's cocoa too.  There have been times nowadays, when a trip to the greenhouse means I can steal a crafty sit down and listen to the same comforting drip, drip, dropping.
 
However, you can have too much of a good thing and the novelty of wearing an anorak in the garden, in summer, has worn off.  My half full trug of produce last week has long since gone and shockingly, I am missing the pain from my usually seasonal  'watering can arm'. The garden is now a designated marsh area and the rose buds are mouldy.  The chickens looked miserable when I let them into the corral today and their little claws sank into the mud.  (Does anyone know where I can buy chicken wellies?)

But there is nothing we can do, except salvage what there is from the veg plot - and hope.  I have covered the lettuces with cloches to stop them from rotting and I lifted the onions and put them on the greenhouse staging to dry off.  The beetroot has perked up a tiny bit and the runner beans look happier now they have finally managed to crawl up the canes, away from the ground, though need a lot of encouragement to keep going.

Yesterday, Doc seized on a sunny window of opportunity and cut the grass which was so lush it was in need of a re-style rather than a trim.  I have never seen Doc drive the ride-on mower quite so fast and with every approaching grey cloud, he put his foot down even harder on the accelerator pedal.  His strimming skills improved considerably too and I am wondering if there are any strimming competitions he could enter .  Perhaps he could win us a holiday in the sun.  Fortunately though, the weather held, he finished the job and there is now a sodden, seven foot high pile of clippings at the end of the garden.  (Send creative ideas on a postcard, please.) 

It has been pouring all day today and surprise, surprise, the forecast says it will rain again tomorrow.  I will soon run out of indoor jobs because there is a limit to how many times I can clean out the cupboards and put the canned pulses in date order.  I must try and cheer myself up.  I must think of Gene Kelly, gloriously happy, sloshing his way down the street in that wonderful and iconic 1952 film musical.  He did not care about soggy socks and wet lettuces.  'Dum, de dum, dum, dum de, dum de, dum, dum......I’m singin’ and dancing in.... the rain........’

A trug half full

Activity in the garden has been restricted lately.  Weather stopped play which is disappointing but that’s how it is and we have to make the best of it.  I cannot remember a summer quite as wet as this.   I have never seen patches of standing water in the orchard.
Since we live on a hill, we are safe but there is so much water that our neighbours’ run off from their already saturated lawn has joined our run off.  Consequently, we now have a stream running down the garden path which we are trying to think of as our new water feature.

However, it was warm and sunny today.  It has not rained but the ground is still saturated and my boots squelched around the garden.  The fruit and vegetables are as disappointing as the weather.  This is not a good year for any of the root veg and the butternut squash are non-existent.  

But it is not all bad news.  Today, I achieved half trug full of delights and there is nothing like scarcity to increase my gratitude.  We may not have a glut of courgettes but there are two little yellow ones which are perfect for the pasta sauce.  The mangetout are growing very well and I keep them in the fridge to nibble in between meals instead of biscuits.  Last week we had a big bag full and I made a stir-fry and we still had some left over the next day, to lightly steam.  We ate them with some fish and our own fresh parsley sauce.

The star of the trug has to be the blackcurrants.  I was checking out the lettuces (attacked by slugs) and strings of jet black tiny beads caught my eye.   Before you could say vitamin C, I had abandoned slug hunting in favour of gathering a necklace or two of these wonderful gems.  The sun was on my back and the blackcurrants were warm and fragrant.  I spent half an hour in blissful solitude, listening to the birds and at one with nature.  Weather beaten I am not.