Thursday, 5 January 2012

Battered Britain

 The weather has been dreadful.    Gales and torrential rain have swept the country these last few days.   Scotland has taken the full force of the storms.     In my area there have been fatalities due to fallen trees.   My heart goes out to those that have lost loved ones.

This is our drive.    Fortunately Mr P had the ditches cleared in the autumn, so this water will eventually drain away.
 This is the wildlife pond that is close to the copse.   A few weeks ago it was virtually empty.   How things change.
Most of this water will work its way to the river at the end of the road.    Things are set to change overnight, so hopefully things will be a little calmer tomorrow :)

I wished for rain at the beginning of the year......we have drought orders waiting in the wings.
As mother always says, be careful what you wish for.....I should have said  'a little rain please'
   I cannot imagine that the drought orders will be put in place now.....
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19 comments:

  1. grammie g5 January 2012 at 06:54

    HI Cheryl..Oh dear, my Mom always said that to, and it looks like you over did it this time!
    The worst part about a lot of sudden rain is that so much of it runs off and the ground doesn't have time to absorb it !!
    Hopefully your gardens benefited from it!
    May you have some nice days ahead with a balance of weather my friend
    Grace

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  2. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 07:20

    Hi Grace,

    Looking out of the window, the sky is black and the wind is blowing a gale. It is whistling down the chimney, and sounds very spooky.

    The garden is sodden, but that is usual here when the rain is heavy.
    We do need the rain because the reservoirs are low. After this week I do not think that will be the case :)

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  3. Rowan5 January 2012 at 07:41

    We've been fortunate where I live (edge of the Peak District) as the worst of the weather has been to the north and the south of us. We've had strong winds and haevy rain but nothing too bad. I fear that grammie g is right and a lot of it will just run off and the wind will dry it up quickly.

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  4. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 07:51

    Hi Rowan,

    How wonderful, the Peak District. What a beautiful place to live.

    Glad you missed the worst of the weather.

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  5. NCmountainwoman5 January 2012 at 08:31

    We have seen photographs of this storm. Thoughts are with those who have suffered in its wake. I'm glad you and family are safe.

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  6. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 08:35

    Tku ncmountainwoman,

    It has been sad to hear of those that have lost their lives.
    I count my blessings....

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  7. Anonymous5 January 2012 at 10:22

    Hi Cheryl,

    I hear the Pennines managed 115mph winds last night, with one area of Sheffield managing 93... I guess that will explain why it was so noisy last night. Pete and I went to Dobbies this morning and it was awful, then as we were having a cuppa the clouds disappeared and it became rather stunningly beautiful! Although, still windy. Can't hear anything howling down our chimney now though, so here's hoping!

    I hope your drive clears up soon enough, cheryl. Although drought conditions may well return, as the land will find it difficult to retain such large floods of water. Although, I thought you had a wet summer?? I'm surprised it's potential drought for you.

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  8. Anonymous5 January 2012 at 12:26

    Hi Cheryl,
    It's been crazy hasn't it! I slept at my sisters last night, on her sofa bed under a skylight, and it was so noisy!!
    I worry about the wildlife when it's like this, it can't be much fun for them, and I worry about the chickens too, though they seem to be braving it well. I have never experienced so much wind, it howls around our house here like a banshee.
    Hope all is well in your garden.

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  9. Lisa at Greenbow5 January 2012 at 13:20

    Yay for rain but I hate to hear that it came with such dreadful winds. How terrible that people have been killed. I am glad to hear you and yours are safe. Do take care. Your garden will be happy once the excess drains away. All of those things you transplanted will be happier.

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  10. Rose5 January 2012 at 18:13

    Oh my, Cheryl; I'm so sorry about all the flooding in the UK. It's especially sad to think that there have been fatalities because of it. I guess we should all wish for moderation in all things. Hopefully, the water will drain away soon, and as Lisa said, your garden may be happier for it eventually.

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  11. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 23:02

    Hi Liz,

    You are right we did have a dull damp summer but apparently not enough rain to keep the reservoirs at the required level...don't ask me, I don't understand either. I suppose the fact that we did not have any rain during the Spring would not have helped....

    I did hear about the weather in Sheffield and thought of you :) Glad everything is ok.

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  12. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 23:05

    Hi Lucinda,

    I worry about wildlife also. Feeding the birds is a priority.....lots of suet balls to help them get through these cold wet nights.

    I am sure your girls will be fine. I watched a programme the other evening about chickens and it said they are really tough and bad weather conditions rarely bother them :)

    Have a lovely weekend.....hopefully a less noisy one :)

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  13. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 23:08

    HI Lisa,

    It is so sad to hear that people have lost their lives. The main reason was that large trees came down and trapped people in their cars. My heart goes out to the families.....

    My trees will be more than happy.....the little hazel trees should do well now.

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  14. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 23:11

    Hi Rose,

    We all seem to suffer extremes of weather these days. The world is changing.
    It is sad that people have died, so very sad.

    The garden copes well with the conditions......flood plains lie at the end of the road. I am taking this into account as I plant and rethink the garden.

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  15. Cheryl5 January 2012 at 23:12

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. Carole Barkett7 January 2012 at 19:14

    The weather is incredible all over this year. I wondered where our water went.

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  17. Q8 January 2012 at 08:10

    Dear Cheryl,
    Our weather patterns are changing. It seems world wide extremes are becoming the normal. It is always sad when people die in storms. I am also sad to read about all the trees that were uprooted. You had gale force winds and such heavy rains. It is amazing you did not have even more damage.
    Glad you and yours are safe.
    Sherry

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  18. Wendy8 January 2012 at 17:32

    That's a lot of water on your property! It's a good thing Mr. P cleared out the ditches so the water won't stagnate. Drought orders? I don't think so. Strange, our weather patterns.

    I hate it when people die in inclement weather. Seems such a waste and something that could have been prevented if the weather was favourable. But this is life. I'm glad you and your family are safe and I hope the water absorbs into the ground or finds the river. Nice pictures, Cheryl.
    Hugs

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  19. Monica the Garden Faerie20 January 2012 at 06:59

    Wow! I hope that floods have subsided!! We've had a lot of rain this winter, too, when we normally have snow. Everything is so confused!

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