Well, yesterdays tadpoles needn't worry for a while ... we've had plenty more watering ... and today all of the mountain was well doused with downpour after downpour, including hail mixed in with the rain. Now ... being a mountain, gravity has a natural habit of insisting everything that can be, gets pulled downwards, so all across the moor and farm pastures, rivulets and streams could be seen flowing through the easiest routes down towards village and town. (It's a good thing we live high up, the water flows mostly passed us). The mountain road looked like a dark river, carrying dead leaves and sticks with it and the repairs done by the council only a few days ago are already in trouble with freeze/thaw action ready to undo their hours of work. Good job I was togged up with wellies, unlike the water loving dog ... he was having a great time getting all muddy and soaking wet.
Not that I escaped a sudden squall that hit us all hard. I found myself battered with face stinging hailstones and rain that felt as hard. Even the pool splodging dog was cringing and, I wasn't the only one wanting shelter ... I came across a farmer in his landrover ...
waiting for a break in the weather to gather some of his ewes in.
Luckily as we caught up on the latest local news, the weather front sped on to douse the folks further up the valleys and for a brief while the sun came out. The problem is that although all this rain is great, we also need the warmth to get the grass really growing so that the ewes and their new lambs can put on some weight without the expensive use of more hay or supplementary concentrates, to ensure they are in the best possible health.
This really is quite a tough time for our farming community, the rain is much needed after a long dry winter, but when it comes in with the strength that it has, all the farm tracks turn to quagmires and the new born lambs are still not strong enough to be able to cope well with this battering day after day. Outdoor animals may seem tough, but just like us they are prone to all sorts of problems that all add to the farmers worries, especially those last few ewes that still haven't given birth. Our farmers are out at all times of day and night keeping an eye on the mothers to be and the new additions not yet mature enough to cope well. Many like the one above cope alone with no sons or daughters interested in carrying on like their fathers and grandfathers before them.
On my way back to the car, I slowly followed the water course and watched sheep struggling in the deep sludgy mud. At least they can wash themselves off in the temporary pools like these >>>
just like the muddy mutt did ( at my insistence) before we headed home to dry off and have hot mugs of tea and buttered toast and to hibernate from further blastings of rain and hail. To think that May is only just under a week away.
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