Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Water, Water, Every Where
by admin - 23:09 on 03 January 2012
The Rural Retreat's inefficient drainage, heavy morning rain and a quick thaw of yesterday's brief snowfall combined to produce predictable results.
Several small lochs appeared in the garden to complement the burn that runs past our door on such occasions, fed by water running off Mr Moneybags' field. Sometimes I wonder if building on it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Matchgirl had a date at the gym, for her London Marathon training continues apace, so I coped with the elements alone. The sandbags, put away only two days ago, were replaced in front of the door, after which I attempted to hold back the tide with industrious shovelling and a small dam. Much mud was produced but not much difference in the flow.
More spadework was carried out in another part of the garden, during which I almost lost a welly in a Flanders-style drama. After that the only thing left to do was bale – an activity rendered pointless by the rain's return.
Bess watched my work with some interest until she got bored, or the weather too miserable, then sat by the door and stared pointedly at the handle until I let her inside. Five minutes later she was back out, through her cat-flap, and five minutes after that was staring at the door again – a game she played several more times. Cats are no help.
The good news is that the snow which afflicted parts of the Highlands today, and the gales which swept the central belt, didn't reach us. The better news is that the small lochs had drained away by the evening. The bad news is that it's raining again and more is forecast.
Country life can be a challenge.
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