Wet and wetter

The swallows are flying low, slugs are in heaven, it can mean only one thing - damp weather. Understatement! Did I say damp? Wet would probably be a truer description, or even wetter than wet may sum the situation up better.

Now I have no idea who or what has been poking bloody great big holes in our clouds but I think it only fair that they now get the darning needle out and do some running repairs. I never knew clouds could hold so much of the wet stuff, but seemingly they do.

There again it could be the giants thumping around up there and putting their feet through the clouds letting the wet stuff out. Giants? Well you see, as a kid I was told that thunder was the giants up in the clouds and they were angry and as we've had a humbdinger of a thunder storm today it made me imagine them stomping around and causing holes in the clouds, coz after all, the rain we've had today could only have come out of big holes, it was pretty big rain, actually I think the giants were tipping buckets of water out of the skies and laughing at us! At least I have grown out of hiding in the wardrobe when it thunders, just as well as today there wasn't a wardrobe handy!

Yup! I can see you all rolling your eyes - Shep has got water on the brain alright!

We've had a number of downpours, also showers, persistent showers, damp showers, wet showers, wetter than wet showers, more downpours and a handful of drier days - honest! there has been a handful, we just tend to forget about them between the wetter than wet days.

Burns have swollen, burst their banks and traveled where they fancy, as have field and hill drains. Roads have also been transformed to look like rivers, saves Shep getting the pressure washer out and removing all the muck and grime from the wheel arches of the car, it happens naturally when you drive on the roads!

I have no idea how much rain falls every day but there is a days worth in these dogs dishes - saves washing them out an' all - wonderful!

Today saw Shep clipping sheep, I only do a couple of days a week, not because I'm getting lazy but due to the fact that for the other five days in the week sheep are sopping wet. Today was one of those couple of days, fortunately the sheep had been housed overnight, otherwise Shep wouldn't have had any to clip as a misty morning would have guaranteed they would be damp of the fleeces and with rain commencing by mid morning they would definitely have never got dried. Fortunately I was working for someone prepared to house sheep overnight. Yesterday saw the clipping finished and then helping to gather, run lambs off and house ewes ready for today, it's a comfort as the raindrops hit the windscreen on the way home to know you'll get on in the morning.

As today's clipping drew to a close the heavens opened, it wasn't a hole in the clouds this time, more like a bloody great big tear, the wet stuff came down whole water, a spate no less. Lightening flashed into the shed and them giants commenced grumbling as the thunder brattled louder and louder. As clipped sheep were reunited with lambs and returned to their pastures Shep quite enjoyed the rain piddling down on her bare shoulders, a humid day had seen much sweat lost and the rain was truly refreshing, until I was wet that is, then it got somewhat tiresome, fortunately a change of clothes was on hand.

Gear was packed up but a delay ensued when it came to leaving and heading for home. The rain was torrential, the thunderstorm was right overhead, lightening and thunder complimenting one another, there was no way Shep was taking to the road in those conditions!

Overall, the storm would last a couple of hours and eventually Shep headed South and back into England. Water was running all ways, through gateways, down bank sides, almost running back up them, burns were boiling, some overflowing onto the road, driving with caution was necessary.

Once back into Northumberland everywhere seemed even wetter. I have never flashed my headlights to oncoming vehicles so much as I did in this particular journey, neither have I had so many flash theirs at me, there was much waving of acknowledgement for consideration to others on the roads. Broken down cars were passed just yards from flooded areas of the roads, police even had roads blocked and diversions set up as I got closer to home. What is normally an hours drive took me an hour and a half, there was much creeping through puddles (more like lakes) on the road.

I eventually had to stop and take a photo, I had passed some sheep just half a mile prior to this stop which were marooned in the flood water, ewes and lambs huddles on a tiny patch of soggy green surrounded by what looked like a raging torrent, I wish I'd taken a photo, but due to a police road block and redirecting of traffic there was much traffic on my tail and no where safe to pull over, so no photo. Hopefully the river would begin to run in and the sheep would find their 'island' growing in size before finally once again becoming their pasture.

The above photo is of the Rede, a twisty narrow river in the next door valley to our own, it is noted for flooding but even so had managed to do remarkably well in such a short time. It had swamped much ground and presumably was the cause of the redirecting of traffic a short way back down the road.

The excitement of my journey still wasn't over. There were still many watery obstacles to negotiate, small hill drains and burns had swollen to ridiculous proportions, running across roads and bringing down stone walls which were in the way of the spate. My mind was full of "Ooh", "Blimey", "good grief!" and even "Wow!". I just can't help feeling full of awe and respect for the power of nature.

The water levels began to subside quite quickly, an hour from returning home and it was more than obvious that water was draining away and heading at a rate of knots for the coast.

It left much damage in it's wake, stone walls down, tarmac lifted on the roads, trees washed away, land slides. Our pub got flooded out, not for the first time in it's life time and probably not the last, we have been extremely fortunate though in many ways, television news coverage tonight shows people far worse affected than ourselves, we don't have houses standing in water, nor cars with only their roofs showing above the water level. Them holes in the clouds may have left their mark but we have much to be thankful for.

We have a private weather station in Tarset and they sent the following report through Yesterday (28 Jun 2012) the temperature ranged from 12 to 18°C with 54.8mm rain. The wind gusted up to 18 mph. Follow the weather on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tarsetweather

For those of you like myself who don't quite follow the millimetre thing and prefer measurements in 'old money' as my mother would say then I have googled a converter and can report that 54.8mm equates to 2.1574803149629598 inches. Doesn't really sound a lot, however, the majority of it fell in just a couple of hours and believe you me, it did equate to a fair amount! BUT.......... apparently on 28th June 1917 243mm (9.5") reportedly fell at Bruton in Somerset, SO we ain't really got anything to complain about have we?

Sheepy mischief

Sheep ain't as stupid as folks would like you to think and given the opportunity they are more than capable of running circles around you. Shep and Moss have been dealing with their mischievous ways over recent days.

 

This picture might appear quite innocuous but them there sheep know what they're playing at, running down a steep bankside full of brackens, they were forever hopefully of hiding from sight. Fortunately at the moment the brackens are only just growing, by the next time these sheep are gathered in July the brackens will be higher, denser and give them far more cover. Should they get away with this ploy again there is no doubt some of them may well give shepherd and dogs the slip.

 

When gathering it is always wise to look back, the above photo is the reverse shot of the one previous to it, so, there are sheep running and trying to hide in the brackens ahead, but nothing behind..... look closer - just to the right hand side of the self seeded tree, is there something showing above the heather?

 

Aye! crafty beast, tried to slink off whilst the fore runners were causing mayhem, too wise to keep running, she just stood still, forever hopeful she would be overlooked.

There is a final ploy in a sheep's life. To sulk. They like to take flight, run and hide, run in the opposite direction to the one you'd like them to, then there are those who once they think the world has got the better of them they go in a huff - sulk and refuse to budge.

 

If they can run into water they're more than happy, in fact can almost be suicidal in their attempts to take to a burn in a desire to be petty. Fortunately this time the burn wasn't full. This ewe had decided enough was enough, taking flight hadn't worked, trying to hide hadn't been successful either, the last resort was to go in a sheep huff, take to the water

 

and face up to the dog - do the battle of wills thing. So it was, like staring someone out, see who gives in and blinks first. Moss was more than happy to stand his ground, it had been a long and fraught gather, the water was cool and he wasn't in a great hurry to go anywhere, he actually had the ace card up his sleeve but was being patient for the time being. The ewe may well find her nose being nipped if she continues to dig her heels in. Whose nerve will give first?

 

Good old Moss came up trumps, his nerve did hold as he was edging for a fight, mebbes the ewe realised he wasn't gonna take any prisoners. He managed to stare her out and move her on, although still in the water and travelling down the burn she soon realised she'd be able to travel far faster on terra firma

 

and off she went as though the devil was on her tail, rushing to join the safety of her mates further down stream.

Sheep are anything but stupid, they can be far wiser than those of us who try to handle them!

Clarts and calamities

Clarts and calamities is actually the title of a book, written by a genius called Henry Brewis. Any one who has never acquainted themselves with Henry Brewis and his cartoons and thoughts about sheep and farming don't know what they are missing. If he were still alive today he would have a hey day recording all the modern day bureaucracy farmers and shepherds find themselves faced with. Anyhow, this posting is not about a book, just shares the title.

Just the other night on the 6 O'clock news there was a report about the droughts down south. Drought? Seemingly it is true, there are five counties away down there somewhere which are seriously suffering from a lack of rain.

I recall just the other day stating that the ground was drying up, admittedly it had a long way to go but drying up it was... then it rained again!

Funny thing. Nature vs Man. Wouldn't you think if we were so clever we could divert this wettness we are experiencing and send it down to those less fortunate, those who are praying for rain. Would be good to be able to turn the tables, but we ain't that clever and turn the tables or divert the weather we can't do. Nature wins again!

Moss doesn't take too kindly to getting his feet dirty, however he has little option through this gateway, neither did the sheep which we were slowly gathering on foot.

Blocked drains may not be helping in some areas. Underground tile drains laid years ago get blocked with roots, tiles moving or the build up of silt which gets washed in with the water.

Whatever the problem Shep had great fun spalshing in puddles, at least my wellies were getting cleaned!

So those photos explain the clarts (mud/mess). What about the calamity?

Not truly a calamity although it probably looks that way. Dead sheep? Poorly sheep? Anyone who knows sheep will recognise the stance - lying on her belly, head flattened to the ground, lugs flattened, body looking tense. It's a sheep huff. Nearly, but not quite as bad, as a man huff.

A fit sheep (which can often be the case), she has just decided that enough is enough, it is pissing with rain, the ground is saturated and she ain't gonna co operate. I have to say a sharp boot up the backside will often see them lift out of their huff but this mule ewe was stronger willed than that.

Shep stood well back and waited. Coz one thing a huffy sheep is very good at is banging to her feet when she thinks it is safe to do so and then generally gallops off in the opposite direction to the one in which you intend her to go.

She raised her head to look around and work out where her mates had disappeared to, then sure enough like a rocket she banged up onto all fours and legged it. I had positioned myself in the field to ensure she had to move in the direction her mates had travelled, she wasn't likely to run towards me that's for sure!

There she goes, nowt wrong with her at all, she was booling (charging) along like the devil himself was behind her. I guess it's the wild instinct in these sheep, as we so often see on wildlife documentaries, animals will often flatten themselves to the ground and pretend to be dead in an attempt to confuse their hunters, this hunter wasn't that easily confused!

bubble bath

I have to say I like nothing better than a soak in a hot bath full of bubbles, especially after having battled with sheep all day. However, the bubbles in this posting aren't quite the ones I would choose to relax with.

It was the 26th August. Shep had been working for the elderly farmer over in Cumbria. It had been a mizzly dank morning when I had left the North Tyne and set off heading west, I ran into rain then thick fog before arriving over the border in Cumbria to find it was a bright morning, the proceedings went well, sheep were dosed and sorted but unfortunately in the afternoon waterproofs were donned as the weather worsened. Nothing too serious, just sufficient precipitation to make sheep wet to handle and have the inconvenience of wearing waterproofs on a milder day.

On returning home I was told we had suffered a deluge. T'was the day before Bellingham Show and the heavens had opened, cloud bursts were mentioned, thunder rain, downpours, burns reaching their banks. Umm? Can't say I'd noticed!

Bellingham Show morning dawned and it was wet, had been wet during the night also. Fortunately it blew out and the show was fortunate enough to have a dry day for the proceedings. That evening I exercised the dogs and headed towards the linn.

 

This is the same linn (waterfall) which was frozen over in the winter, upon reaching it I was aware that there had indeed been a great deal of rainfall with the brown peaty waters boiling over into the cauldron below.

 

The bubble bath had me enthralled, it really takes very little to amuse me, although I have to say the dogs were bemused. I ended up taking photo after photo of bubbles, all the while hoping to god I didn't fall in, definitely didn't look as appetising as a warm bath that's for sure!

 

 

 

These aren't man made, this is nature once again at her best. Heavy rainfall causing the linn to boil, although not quite literally as I'm sure the temperature of the water wouldn't be anywhere near boiling point.

 

 

I finally had my fill of photographing bubbles, much to the dogs delight, until that is something else caught my eye.

 

buzzy things this time

 

Eventually I dragged myself away, the dogs weren't too sure whether they ought to move or not, was I really resuming our walk or just heading off to photo something else? Relief showed on their faces when they realised this was for real and off we were.

On returning home, the other half said "By, that must have been a long walk?" My reply? "Umm, not really!"