The week that was

[its hilly]

Well we've had gales and rain combined which flattened a coop, moved a solid wood 4ft sq coop about a foot from where it stood, ripped the roof off another coop and my broody coop, leaving my chooks totally unbothered and thankfully unhurt but soggy. And now torrential rain
Got to the buildings this am to find 2/3 of my paddock flooded to some depth and the horses shivering inside the barn. With two rather subdued geese.
Yesterday am I got there to find the gremlins had managed to open my juniors coop door in the night (its a huge rabbit hutch with a twist bar so I suspect they had just banged against the door and knocked it off) so they were outside, the coop was soaking wet inside and so were they as the rain wasn't so much bucketing down as bathing down.
Why did I decide to keep chooks, can someone remind me please
At least they are all unscathed, and (touch wood) seem to be finaly getting over the sneezes that have been going round them all. Just one junior still isolated till its a little bit stronger, but well on its way to recovery.

[RichmondHens]

Wow Hilly, how awful for you. We have the other end of the weather spectrum - dry dry dry, and all the grass was dying off till last Monday when we had an afternoon of heavy rain which has freshened up things a little, but nothing since. Root crops are being irrigated and harvest is in full swing. Isn't it weird (and amazing) how the weather changes so dramatically from one part of the country to another?

[lettucegrow!]

:Poor you, can't believe we have such different weather. Glad to hear the chooks are all OK, tough little wotsits aren't they?

And you keep chooks 'cos they're just adorable

[julesapple]

Throwing it down here.....wish it would stop. I know my garden needed rain, but this is threatening botrytis on all my soft fruits and fledgling grape bunches.

The chooks are loving it though - lots of bugs & worms. Seems the only ones with the brains to go in out of the rain are the fluffballs who ran for their respective broody coops as their mothers were busy digging.

At least it might fill up the huge cracks in the grass that appear at the slightest hint of sunshine.

The Gov know where they can stuff their hose pipe ban here......

Jules

[sheena]

There's a ban? Ooops a daisy...
My rasp's look more like sherbet pips this year due to the lack of water, so every night i'm out there watering the whole garden.
The lawn has died a death as I refuse to pay £25 for a sprinkler

[julesapple]

Our local council were contemplating a ban...fools. Don't think that they actually did it, but it's thrown it down ever since the local paper mentioned it.

My Mum lives not far from you, and being used to Cyprus summers, has been carefully carrying washing up water etc outside in bowls and buckets. I bet she's still doing it despite the rain.

Jules

[its hilly]

Lol..I stuck my waterbutt, an empty big dustbin, under the spout last night after scrubbing it out. And it was full, so were the two 75l trugs that i put under its overflow side.
I think theres a hosepipe ban here too, that'ld be about right. I'm going to put out a sign tomorrow advertising boat trips, the chooks have got wellies and waterwings on. Even the geese have had enough today. Though i suspect they'll be off playing in it tomorrow.