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........’