Still Blue, Still Stocking: The Bluestocking remains open in 2021

Spring, is it your house that was flooded or the garden?

It's certainly been a day of epic downpours. I was caught out in a thunderstorm and even though I was wearing a waterproof jacket and waterproof boots, the rain got inside the jacket and boots and even my bra got damp (my pants were soaked...) I was very glad of a hot shower.

💐 spring

I am putting on coffee and bringing fig rolls and custard creams, as it's that kind of a day. We have delayed PCC elections coming up so I need to check my draft emails to the candidates and then press Send on them all.

And we had a flood, tonight. Violent heavy rain, bit biblical, smashed to bits lots of flowers and veg, sadly

On an irrelevant note, I am very happily slightly pissed, having watched gymnastics and dressage, with a wine and nice crisps, on i player.

And ignored a load of shite from family. They can sort them selves out, like the adults they all (allegedly) are (supposedly)
I'm not playing their games. Over to you "D" H

Oh thank goddess for some rain!

Popping in for a quick one after the Zoom with Helen Joyce and Justine R.

A couple of short squalls today but the rain stayed away - so, everything crossed, things will improve.

river and wetland might be where embarrassing is right now.... hoping you are still dry.

Ah, thanks for the link embarrassing -- the water vole`s face seems a little rounder and the bank vole a little more ratlike.

Glad you are still dry. Hope you stay that way.

Really ought to sort something out at my mother's as she would e prone to run off too.

and here you are Embarrassing still giving us your time whilst watching and waiting. Which part of the country, then we an keep an eye on the forecast?

Going for a big spend with DD tomorrow so I'll look out something special for you. It will help me forget about the destruction being wrought on my garden. Which is nothing compared to yours E but I'm a very self absorbed person 😂

Hope you’re ok embarrassing, very worrying.

Bank vole look cute but I'm not the one whose garden is damaged by them. These feel like subtle differences between them, water vole, and field vole - but I'm far from a reliable observer on such matters.

www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/bank-vole

Or - you know how developers have the distressing habit of naming their estates and roads after what used to be there before they built all over greenfield?
I was literally just thinking about this this afternoon. I think 'distressing' is exactly the right word. 'The Orchard' (not any more). 'Pattle's Pasture' (well, it was, when I were a nipper). I'm also not a fan of ads for new estates that rave about the 'stunning views over the beautiful Norfolk countryside'. That would be the same countryside you're covering in bloody concrete.

I honestly think that some people have no idea what the countryside is actually for. I remember some imbecile wondering in a newspaper opinion piece about 'how much land do farmers actually need?'

Wishing you well, Embarrassing.

Not sure Molly I think water voles are smaller and I don't think they would destroy my plants. These young ones were very cute but I haven't seen the new lot who've just moved in, just found their destruction.

Highame - are bank voles the same as water voles? Like Ratty in Wind in the Willows?

We're holding. Much will depend on the rainfall later tonight and tomorrow morning.

The new build developers put in a flood relief scheme but it seems there was no budget allocation for maintenance of it so, what with one thing and another, it appears to have no free drainage or diversion. To be fair, it also seems like most of the homeowners who paved over their gardens either didn't put in drainage or they haven't maintained it, IYSWIM, so they're not diverting the water anywhere as they're full of leaf or other litter.

This one from the last invasion. Cute, yes, but

Hope you're okay. And dry.

I've never seen a bank vole. A friend had a hare in his garden the other day, peering in through the patio doors.

BANK VOLES. They're back. We had them in the garden a couple of years ago but they disappeared. They are decimating geraniums (not Pelargoniums). We have a couple of large beds which are raised. I wouldn't mind but we're not rural. Cheeky sods. The family loves them. Last time the little ones came out to play, so of course everyone's misty eyed, whilst I sit there fuming. They are protected so I'm now tramping around making a noise, hoping they move on before all the geraniums are gone. Why don't like sodding weeds?

Hope things are ok Embarrassing. We will prepare to send survival kit comprising plenty of alcohol

Oh, no, Embarrassing.

This is the trouble with all the hard landscaping, and why one is supposed to apply for planning/building warrant to get rid of garden and pave over it ... maybe part of the reason we are getting more flooding now.

Hope you stay above the waterline.

Popping in to check that Embarrassing has enough coffee and toast, and that Spring and Susan are both ok under the blanket.

I need to write to the local PCC candidates this week. But I really fancy a big mug of strong coffee and a dusty book or two first. I've bought some pastries in.