soapdragon Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Well, heavy rain in Oxford right now, ajm, but set to clear around lunchtime. If you are going to the Radcliffe or Churchill though do allow plenty of time to park (and I mean plenty) it gets a bit manic after 9.30am. Good luck; hope you get some answers. Will think of you; let us know how you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Radcliffe today. Thank you 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Yes, good luck AJM. Still grey and vaguely wet here. We had that horrible humidity on Sunday, but its eased now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnie&Moose Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Apparently we had thunder here last night (I slept through it!) but the torrential rain work me up this morning and it's now that very fine but very wet rain that gets you completely soaked. All the water butts are over flowing again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 35C here on Sunday with low humidity felt nice, but yesterday and today at 33C with high humidity is stifling. Forecasts vary, but we have at least two days to come around 39C, perhaps four days. No rain for the next week so more tap water added to the butts making a seasonal shortfall so far of 2300 Litres. Will have to do the maths at the end of the season to see if extra rain water storage is economical and how much we would need between periods of rain to avoid using tap water. The spare freezer is now on preparing ice blocks for the drinkers ready for tomorrow. We have some chickens that are smart enough to stand in their water trays to cool down, but unfortunately we have some that are not, so the cages in the house are set up ready. There is a good Easterly breeze though coming up the valley, so we're hoping that just hosing down outside the runs will keep everyone cool. The other problem is keeping the house cool, which means opening doors and windows at first light when it is coolest, then keeping everything closed during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Beantree, would it be practical to have an underground grey water collection tank? I would love one, and if the rear of my place was more easily accessible, I would get one dug. I have the same drizzle as M&M, working at home today and started off in shorts and flipflops, but changed to jeans as it got cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Feeling very cheated - no thunderstorms and still very humid. Like trying to breather through a blanket. Urg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 It's not broken either way here too.... still overcast, drizzly and cool. I wouldn't say it was humid here though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 The soil is quite thin here DM, so anything over a foot and it is hard clay which is rock a foot further down, although it varies over the whole plot. So digging a hole deep enough would be nigh-on impossible. We have two surface concrete butts of 1000 litres each at the moment, but they were installed when the house was renovated and now the septic system prevents heavy equipment accessing the back of the house. I've seen some plastic 500 litre pots which could be set to cascade down from one to another to another and another, giving us an extra 2000 litres. Perhaps next year? 27C already here and they are now saying 41C in central France (the Limousin). No rain on the cards for at least a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 You can have some of our rain - we had 2" overnight on Monday-Tuesday. I hate to boast, but all my cascading water butts are now full! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Erk! 34 degrees forecast tomorrow then back down to 23 on Sunday.......not looking forward to tomorrow at all (but at least all the bedding will dry!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 https://tenor.com/view/sweat-sweating-sweaty-airplane-ted-striker-gif-4372615 Gak!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Ha! One of my two all time favourite films (the other is Hot Fuzz - there is a pattern!) Actually now forecasting 'only' 33 so maybe not quite so bad However, I can now 'smell' rain....there is a distinct niff of it so hope we may have a freshner overnight?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 It's been so very hot here - high 70s but real feel of almost 90! But we did have the breeze so that was very welcome. I've removed all the rain/wind shelters to the sides of the run so that if it is chilly windy later on, then they can still duck down, but the breeze cooled it down inside reasonably well. Did my chores early so have been sitting under the trees with the little ones - I think those little chickens must be plum tuckered out tonight because we were out there quite a lot in the shade! The farmers have been very busy mowing - the landscape is all green lines now - well some are dried out so I expect baling will be done in a couple of days. Ours is being done on Wednesday - as long as we don't get the thunderstorms promised! If I remember I'll look for the noctilucent clouds tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 After an uncertain and grey start, it has been a really lovely day. Hot, but with a good breeze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Let's hope that the breeze continues! Poor farmers....it must be such a guessing game in terms of 'knowing' when to harvest even with a moisture meter. Grain dryers cost a fortune to run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Came over cloudy - like thick quilted clouds - mammarian perhaps, while to the east it looked like lots of larch trees lying on their sides - very strange! No chance of noctilucent clouds here tonight. But the wind has dropped to nothing, very still outside while the smell can only be described as being on the beach - seaweed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Back to normal summer temps in Cornwall today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 It has been very hot here today - 32deg, with a slightly cooling breeze. Too hot to do much, but lovely. It clouded over early evening and low looks like it might rain. Dogs have stayed inside in the cool most of the day; it's like walking in to air conditioning in our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Was up really early this morning and we were out working in the garden. Lots of Van Gogh type clouds! Quite some time later we had a drink as it was getting quite hot so I went and brought a cold drink out - we thought it was getting towards 11 heat-wise. It was only 9.30! Then we went indoors for a short while and I grabbed my books to go out and sit with the chooks in the orchard in the lovely shade (no wind though) and then it clouded over! Still, it was nice to sit in the fresh air without feeling as though I was burning. After lunch it was still cool-ish so I went back in the field - then it got really hot and sunny again! Back inside again! Then after dinner we were going to do some more field work - I did plant a few things and set up some netting and watched a low cloud come rolling over as the wind had picked up a lot - it got quite chilly and was in the cloud for a while - it was quite amazing and cool! Almost felt like rain but I think it was more like the sea mist coming in at Falmouth and the boats use the fog horns and then it all goes! Funny old day - no more storm warnings ahead and it's much more pleasant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Well we survived the heatwave, as did all the chickens. The eagerly anticipated thunderstorms didn't arrive yesterday so we only got 10mm of rain, whereas 20Km North they recorded 38mm. So now we are 'red alert' for drought and are not allowed to use tap water for our plants. So looks like we are going to have pump out our little (2m3) pool to keep our stuff alive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I’m glad that’s not a ruling here because I’ve run out of water butt water. Had lovely weather here in Cornwall for the last 3 weeks now - and I’ve got this week off work 🙌🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Weather here the last few days has been starting off comfortable and fresh but, by mid day, humid and muggy. And the nights! Eugk! The only good thing about it is that I can't eat much in the heat (got to search for the positives, haven't you!?) Hoping to drop a few pounds! ES is doing D of E expedition/camp this weekend otherwise I'd be out in the garden doing a rain dance. But not a drop forecast right up to the end of the 7 day long range next week!!! We should probably take bets on when the hosepipe ban will come into force! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 No more than the odd sprinkle of rain in our forecast for at least the next ten days, so maybe not too long here. ‘Prolonged Dry Weather’ is being talked about at work in Cornwall and I think is already the case in other areas. I think that’s the state before drought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 We seem to be promised some reasonably heavy rain on Friday and showers on Saturday but, TBH, its going to take much more than that to make a difference to the garden/ground. A few days of heavy rain is really what's needed round here but not breath holding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
