Slugsville

Rain! Rain! Rain! That is all it does around here. Apparently this is the wettest summer ever recorded - since records began in 17 whatever!
It is really depressing to put it mildly and most of all for those who have been flooded continually for the last few weeks over and over again. Tewkesbury is completely surrounded and can only be reached by boat. We tried to get to Bidford upon Avon to see a friend at Marcliff and we got to the bridge ok but beyond the bridge was flooded for at least 500 mtrs if not further and abandoned cards were floating around in the fields. I was worried even standing on the bridge as the water was right up to the top of the arches and was swirling and bubbling around quite ferociously. The water was all brown and it came up to the tops of the trees. We carried on down the road and tried the next turning but the road and fields were badly flooded there too. We carried on to Stratford knowing that there had been flooding but hoping that there was a way through somehow. When we got to Stratford a taxi driver told us that we just wouldn't be able to cross the river without going a lot further south and it wasn't really worth it. The road that Marcliff is on is so near the river that that would surely have been flooded also. In the end we turned back. At least it was a nice drive.

Now back on er, "dry" land I look in despair at my garden and it's mighty army of slugs that have made it their stronghild. I wish some giant thrushes and hedgehogs would come along and eat the bloody lot of them! The slugs have been at everything leaving trails of slime everywhere even the bird food they have had a go at as well as my bulbs. I even found one inside the bird feeder! As Danny and Kenny were moving some wood left over from the dojo they uncovered more monster slugs - they had never seen any so big. I am always amazed at how high these creatures can travel. I even saw a snail at the top of the lilac bush which must have been at least 7ft up in the air!

The weather has been really unkind to all the plants too... the hollyhocks and evening primroses have keeled over in the wind and rain and I managed to save the alkanet by staking it up. All of the garden is completely sodden and the only thing that seems to be enjoying this weather is the bracken. I wish we could have a bit of really hot sun but it looks like rain, clouds and electric storms for the next couple of weeks.