Summertime Blues

We've been mentioning that we have a heatwave and we've not seen any rain. Well now it's getting serious. I read in the local paper today that the last heavy rain was in April, and the authorities have stopped the farmers from drawing water out of the rivers in the Lot. We've gradually become aware of how serious it is when we were told that cattle farmers are having to use hay cut for winter feed as the grass just isn't growing. Also the maize which is grown for winter sillage is a lot smaller than normal. Not good for the winter!

This hot spell has also had a serious effect on our garden, and on the gardener. Sue has been struggling to keep everything watered, especially as she wants the new perennials to become established. We had a show from the bedding plants but really they've gone to seed and are now over.

The green beans aren't producing, tomatoes are small, and even the courgettes don't like it. But the peppers have given up the ghost. And all through lack of water.

All of this has made the gardener very depressed. She's now at the stage of damage limitation and thinking of strategies for surviving water shortages in the future. (But I'm not building a reservoir!)