Was that rain?

I’m not sure…

Needless to say, my summer residency plans have been aborted as I have not been able to focus on anything much apart from endeavouring to control my environment to make it habitable. Staying within the reasonable bounds of functionality has taken a lot of time and energy, and just dealing with the dogs and myself has been hard work. It seems to be cooling off now, and rain is forecasted, even if it hasn’t quite make any impression so far. According to the observed satellite images from the Met Office, we had a light shower last night, and although there’s a damp almost-puddle on the metal patio table, there’s no other evidence of precipitation.

Most of the trees around here have given up and started shedding leaves: the false autumn which has become more the norm these days. Even the nettles and brambles are wilted and going crispy, making walking down the Cuckoo Trail rather depressing. The thousands of tiny oak saplings from last autumn’s mast year have shrivelled to nothing, but the wild service tree has lots of fruit; they will have enjoyed this hot weather. My friend has apple trees in his garden, only one of which has fruited, but the blackbirds have been making the most of the ones on the ground.

We naturally have a hosepipe ban here in Sussex, which is deeply frustrating given the ridiculous situation we have with potable water in this country, but I did use a sprinkler on the fruit trees as I figured that might be permitted. A young Robin and a juvenile Great Tit splashed around delightfully in the pseudo-rain which was charming but also reminded me of what an impact the drought has on everything. France and the rest of continental Europe appear to have lost their blocking high pressure system so hopefully some damp weather will soothe the landscape for all of us. There is talk of low pressure becoming similarly dominant once it sets in…bring it on I say. Rather than constructing reservoirs, some big-hitting environmental experts are championing nature – particularly beavers – to create more resilient countryside by allowing water to properly permeate and rehydrate the land. If the sun’s energy goes straight to heating as there’s no evaporation, a feedback loop sets in – as we’ve seen this summer. By giving the solar radiation more work to do, there’s a lower chance of it getting a grip, and of course, desiccated vegetation is obviously a far greater fire risk than lush greenery, disposable bbq or not.

Now that rain is waiting in the wings, I’m going to do my best to make sure any we do get is absorbed by the ground, rather than careering off down a drain. I will fork the front grass (it isn’t a lawn) and make sure the pots and borders have some fluffy soil on any bare patches. I’ve been using tap water to refill the ponds which isn’t ideal but if it sits for 12-24 hours it seems to have fewer negative impacts. It’ll be good to have full water butts again!

Artistically speaking, I am also suffering from a drought: my usual fountain of ideas has become a mere dribble. When I haven’t done anything much for a while, I get paralysed with indecision as to what I ought to do, because I have to work up to things again and I find that sooooo incredibly boring. Of course there is the additional factor that being out of practise means any artwork I do manage to produce is inevitably unsatisfactory; another feedback loop. I am going to force myself to do things this week and have written down some topics and will just do them, kicking and screaming no doubt but hopefully it will create some movement. Creative inertia is frightening (what if I can’t get out of it?) and makes my brain hurt so I need to do something….

Maybe I’ll check in tomorrow with something to show for my day ¯\_(ツ)_/¯