It rained, then it poured and then it rained some more; and a bird count

OK, this is now officially ridiculous! I emptied the water butt on Tuesday, then again on Saturday and this morning it's once again overflowing.

Just for a little variety yesterday just I was starting the bird count it snowed which certainly affected the bird numbers. This is what we counted:
Blackbird - 1
Blue tit - 1
Brambling - 2
Chaffinch - 17
Coal tit - 1
Dunnock - 2
Great tit - 2
Greenfinch - 3
Robin - 1
Song thrush - 1

A much lower number than at the same of day on any other day during the past week - oh, well.
The wren may have been busy under the herb bed and amongst the pots but then again the little flash of brown could have been the back of the robin or a dunnock so we're not including her this time.
Notable absentees included both sparrows, goldfinches (who were there in great numbers earlier in the day), siskins, starlings and wood pigeon; these all visit daily but just not in the middle of a sleety blizzard apparently - and who can blame them?
Others who stayed away were the collared dove, nuthatch, long tails, the willow tit and our reasonably regular woodpecker.

And still it pours

I have emptied the water butt yet again today, it was overflowing across the yard once more this morning.  According to reports we have already had more rain than the January average, read more here on The Telegraph. We're all fed up of soggy walks. :o(
However, on the bright side the hamamelis is in full flower and this week the catkins have opened, the winter jasmine has been flowering since November and is a blaze of yellow.  The first berberis flowers have opened this week too adding a splash of orange.  When it stops raining I'll try for photos!
This evening for the first time in a while the sky is mostly clear and high with a wonderful display of stars, the pleiades riding high and pegasus's square plainly visible whilst auriga sits upside down on her throne in the middle of the heavens. Orion and the plough were both obscured by buildings and cloud.

Enough already.

Ok, enough is enough. I emptied the water butt for the third - maybe fourth - time this year, yes, this year ie since January first. The yard is green despite being pressure washed but there's no point armillotox-ing it as it can't dry and likewise the vet disinfectant can't be used because it will be diluted too much and can't dry. When it finally stops raining (which will be this year, someone tell me it will?) it's going to be a monster job.

And now? Guess what? Yes, you're right it's raining again. A two-towel-dog-dry-before-bed type of wet. Ho hum.

Silver lining? I can usually find one and in this instance just think how deep it would be if all this rain was not wet but white.

Thursday morning update: it's rained heavily all night and the water butt is now two thirds full again!

Delugiferous

I know we shouldn't complain - but I'm fed up of the rain! Soggy dogs again, it's so heavy Hester refused to go out for her last busy. I guess she's big enough now to hold it all night, well fingers crossed.

Finally the rain let up

What a relief.   At last it stopped raining, the land dried up, the sun came out and so did the tractors. Over the last week virtually every field in Goathland has been cut for hay or silage; farmers and contractors working until the early hours to get it all in before the rain returned (last night). 

Do you see what I see?

 
Top of the pole - yes, here she is in the middle of the garden at 6:30 one evening this past week.
This is "fat wol" who is slightly larger than "thin wol" so we're guessing she's a she.
Barmy bird, I suppose she fancied a different perch and because it wasn't raining she could come out from under the eaves - and get a better look at the martins.... But so far no more martin predation.

House Martin

First one of 2012 seen on Saturday, just the once.  I hope it's found somewhere dry to hide, along with the swallows.  The garden is turning into a swamp, everything is sodden, I can't even get across the beds to deadhead the daffodils.  But (I'm trying to be positive here), the bog garden is flourishing, the skunk cabbage which I thought I'd lost has popped up again and I'm hoping that the wet will kill off the invading buttercups.

Wet, wet, wet, dry, wet

Was the weather Monday 27 September to 1 October. Added to which it was windy too.
The garden was awash, and the plants were nearly horizontal, we ran out of dry dog towels and the kitchen floor resembled a muddy puddle. In fact it rained so much there was a landslip on the Scar behind / above the station which collapsed downwards and was only halted in it's progress by the wall and gate.

Rain

And then some.
Yesterday it rained most of the day, not just rain but huge quantities of water hurled from the sky with great force. Then it did it again, 6ish this morning there was more water falling than the earth knew what to do with, gutters over flowed, puddles turned into ponds. By 8 the rain had stopped and by mid-morning the sun came out and started creating a large sauna. Still sunny and no more wet - for now.