Saturday 20 July 2013

The heatwave continues

ducklings sunbathing Jul 13

2011-12 saw a very mild winter followed by an incredibly wet spring and summer. And then in 2013, there was a very cold winter which vastly outstayed its welcome well into April. Now we are faced with a summer heatwave, the longest for 7 years. I shouldn't complain as this is ideal weather for the bees and a good honey crop would be very useful. Despite an unexpected bit of rain last night, we have had very little for a month. That means we are carrying water to the allotment 4 or 5 times a day. It nearly all goes to the hens and ducks or straight onto the crops in the greenhouse and polytunnels. To ensure we get decent veg crops we are going to have to water the outdoor beds as well.

The ducklings will not use the newly cleaned and enlarged pond. Instead, they lie in the water bowl before turning them into mud. At some point soon we will have to build a second pond for them.

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