It’s the kind of wind and rain that would make an average winter day really miserable. But here I am inside in the heat – it’s still hot and really muggy, and I’m doing the happy dance at the sight puddles in the driveway. The kids will need raincoats on their first day back at school in what seems like an eternity. The summer holidays are over, everyone is pleased. I’m doing the happy dance again!
They say the rain will only last two days and then return to the hot dry days we’ve been having. Only two days? I’ll take it. That’s two days I don’t need to be on the end of a hose, and rain always does such a better job than me at quenching a parched soil. The garden will love it.
Although this reprieve from the baking weather is only short lived. The boffins have said so far this year it has been the driest for 50 years as we have only had 10% of the rain we normally get and it will take three months of normal conditions to return the land to normal. The problem is we are still a long way from having normal conditions. This is where I love my soggy boggy swamp soil. It will take this brief rain and soak up every last drop and hang on to it so tight that my plant roots won’t have far to go to find it.
I guess after weeks of dry I didn’t quite believe the forecasts and didn’t bring my washing in so when I heard the rain start in the night I started to worry – but not for my washing. I feared for my tomatoes. All this rain will dilute the flavour and split them. I lost sleep fretting over regret for not harvesting the ripe tomatoes yesterday. I consoled myself and returned to sleep by promising myself it would be the first job of the day. I just need to find my raincoat!
Come again soon – Yay for rain! Hoorrah!!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Beautifull !!!
Thank you Dina
Cheers Sarah : o )
We have 2 days of sun and then back to rain ;). We are living in alternate universes to each other! 😉
Hi Fran. Good of you to lend us your rain for a couple of days! It’s most welcome. Enjoy basking in our sunshine!
Cheers Sarah : o )
The sunshine is OUR usual Sarah, we lent it to YOU! ;). Can we have some of that lovely rain back please? pretty please? We will give it back to you in a couple of days 🙂
Would you like wind with that? We have loads of wind and I’m sure we wouldn’t miss it at all!
Nah…you can keep the wind, Serendipity Farm is perfect for turbines at the best of times! Steve is out pootling between the tides in his tinny trying to catch a few fish and being blown from one side of the Tamar river to the other (fun to watch through the binoculars 😉 )…I am willing to share the wind if you send over some of that wonderful rain…the clouds look like they are just about to bend to my wishes… that was fast! 🙂
Driest summer in 50 years? No wonder you’re doing a happy dance. Enjoy!
Hi Cheryl.
We are coping well, but the farmers are having a really hard time. While this rain is really welcome, I think there needs to be a lot more before things are normal… but then that’s what autumn is for.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Sure was welcome. I lay in bed last night listening to the rain on the roof and feel the nighttime temperature drop. Bliss! When I got up, the garden was smiling, too!
Hi There. My garden loved the rain, although it was still quite muggy and i could have done without the wind – I have had more tomato plants fall down. But you have to take the good with the bad…
Cheers Sarah : o )
Was there any lightning? My brother said that lightning before rain causes nitrogen or something like that to form and fall with the rain. That is why plants to better with rain water, it is fertilizer from the sky.
Hi Lucinda. There was no lightning, but at this point I was just happy to see the rain. But I could have done without the wind. That’s the trouble with the weather – we are never really happy with what we have.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Grin – can you see the steam rising from you hot, dry garden soil?
Hi there. As a gardener you become obsessed with the weather, checking the forecast often, looking for rain, sun or frost and hoping not to see wind.
“Normal” people just enjoy the sunny weather and hope it doesn’t end.
Cheers Sarah : o )