JPJ's Weblog

What a shitty shitty week, the rain here has been unbelievable, unless of course you live south of us in which case you have probably had it worse. We actually cancelled the Saturday Owl Evening and we have never done that in probably 14 years of Owl Evenings. But I doubt if people could have got here and if they had negociated the floods, one huge one at the end of our road, they would not have got back because it never stopped raining. In fact it has only just about stopped now.

The flooding around Gloucestershire and Herefordshire is bad, our ground is sodden and groaning with the amount of water there is on and in it. And to cap it all my house has two leaks, one in the loft room which has gone through into the bedroom below and now into the larder, and the other in the main bathroom although that one rather helpfully is coming through the electrics and running down the light cord, so I can catch much of it in a bucket. All in all a depressing time I have to say.

The gardens apart from looking drenched are also looking very very pruned!! Peter Dowle sent two men over for two days and they pruned a substantial part of the garden with substantial pruning!!! It looks a little bar in places. We did all the clearing – in all the rain, and got soaked to the skin for four days, and Adam managed, heaven knows how, to get a fire going and we burnt most of it, there is still a little to go, but it is very wet right now. I am sure it will look great in the spring!!! I hope so anyway.

We have also had visitors every day, regardless of the weather!! They must be nuts, but it is good to see them. Having said that we are also looking forward to the weekend when we close for eight weeks, and so can get all the birds done early in the day and then move forward with jobs.

John is now organising all the aviary cleaning and clearing and moving of birds. Because we took a reasonable number of birds up to Charlie’s, we have a bit of space which is wonderful, and so we are cleaning, and moving pair around to where we think they may do better. I brought a whole load of new perches down from Duncombe as we had had extra made and generally we hope to get most done before Christmas, and at worst all the barns containing early laying birds.

Art has been clipped – he looks very smart, and now does not get so hot and sweaty when he is schooled. We hope to take him over for a lesson to the local riding school next week, I will be pleased to do it and see how he reacts to travel and then work, it may be rather more exciting that I want!

I managed to stub my toe last Tuesday, I did not think anything of it apart from swearing when it happened and hopping around a bit. About three days later I noticed it was fairly bruised but now I am lame on it, and I suspect I broke something as it is swollen and sore.

So not a great week, here is hoping that December brings something better along, and perhaps my Range Rover will only have a minor fault…………………..