Summer. It's a lovely day in Wales.

Some days I don't know why I bother getting out of bed.
It's raining, cold, and feels like Autumn. It's August. The garden is either waterlogged and dying, or being eaten by vast armies of slugs that even the 2 visiting hedgehogs can't control. The plants need sun, and warmth.

A bit blurry, but that is the smaller of the 2 who come visiting. I hope it's the same 2 we released after winter care, back in May. If so, then they're doing well. 
I'm sitting here in jeans, thick socks, boots, and I have a jumper on, and I'm still cold! I refuse to put the heating on. It's August.
Global warming? This is the reason I really don't like that phrase. I know it applies to an overall picture covering many years, but this doesn't feel "warm" in any way. What happened to summers where you roasted and retreated indoors because it was too hot? What happened to beaches and sandcastles, without rain coats and flasks of hot chocolate....
On top of all that, I'm job hunting and this morning's emails brought a slew of rejections. Not shortlisted, unsuccessful.... Sigh.
Some days a positive attitude is very hard to maintain.

Planning and Plotting

It's raining. This is Wales, and we live half way up a mountain - it often rains and when it does it settles in for a long stay. At least it's not hail, and the car wasn't frozen this morning. But the garden is sitting under an inch or so of standing water. It's not a serious flood, just saturated ground with a bit of water on top and the surface water is running off down the road. It's just there's a lot of it.
But I'm looking at my garden and it's a massive job to make it work.
There's not much top soil between the grass and the detritus underneath. I started clearing some growing space last summer and it was like digging into a landfill site. The soil is full of bits of metal, recognisable electrical parts, bits of lino and that's before I think about the stones, perennial weed roots and broken glass. It's such a massive job that I really don't want to even start. I've been using a thick layer of raw composting material along the areas where I want the first 2 veg beds in the hope that it will kill off the grass and weeds and make the digging a little bit easier. Or I could leave it heaped up, put in some box sides and make raised beds? I haven't decided yet.
Then last week I heard about the chance to maybe apply for an allotment, to share with a friend. With 2 of us working it we might get somewhere and it would give us growing space while I clear more of my garden for growing at home.
Sounds like a plan!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

OK, so it's not snowing, and I have no roaring log fire - having failed to win the lottery again this weekend - but it's a bit grim outside.
We have a "Severe weather warning", featuring the possibility of flash flooding, strong winds and other storm-like stuff. There's going to be a hurricane... we're all going to die...
Erm, folks? No. We may lose a couple of plants in the garden, especially the unsecured fruit bushes that I've meant to get round to staking properly all summer and still haven't done. We may lose a branch or three from one of the willow trees, especially the one I meant to get round to trimming all summer, but haven't done. We may even lose a tile or two from the roof, or the power might go off for a while.
Oh, power. No internet, no kettle! No tea! You have a fair point then, that'd be the end of the world.
Joking aside, and if anyone does suffer property damage then you have my sympathy, it's horrid when stuff gets wrecked, and storms can feel really scary.
But, this storm is not going to go all Katrina on us, it's not going to demolish whole cities, it's not going to flatten your house. There won't be huge twisters threatening to sweep you off to Oz, and you won't have to seek refuge in the local library and burn books to stay alive.
You might not want to be out in it, and it might be really hairy to drive in - which is why I'm staying at home with the doors and windows firmly closed. But unless you're really unlucky, it's not going to do that much damage.
Really, UK residents, stop panicking, it's just weather.We get weather every day, we're good at weather. It's Autumn, and the weather is unsettled - and it should be, it's the season for it.
I'm going to watch the beauty of the storm from inside the house, while snuggled up with my kids, a blanket and the cats, watching a dvd, cuddling a large mug of tea (or hot chocolate) - assuming the power stays on!
It could be so much worse, while watching the storm today and tomorrow, spare a thought for those around the world who lose their homes, all their possessions, and even their lives to weather so much worse than this.