Sick of wasting my life because of the rain

[GoodnightAdeline]

I don’t care how many people say ‘it was always like this..’ yes it rained a lot when I was a kid but now it does nothing BUT rain.

I swear to God out of the last 30 days we have had 1 or maybe 2 where it wasn’t fucking raining. And they’re always midweek.

I feel like all we do is sit inside going stir crazy waiting for the rain to stop. I have 2 small children and while they’re desperate to go to the park/beach, even they’re not keen in a torrential downpour with everything covered in mud.

I’m sick of all my plans being cancelled, staring out of the window at depressing grey skies and trying to figure out how to pass the weekend without spending a ton of cash on expensive (and brief) indoor activities.

It’s driving me fucking crazy and not an exaggeration to say it’s sending me into some kind of low level depression. 🍷

Oh dear …

I dare say you’ll get plenty of sun in summer 🤦‍♀️

This is giving me flashbacks.

Have read all OPs responses and about 3 pages of the thread. I think you are getting a hard time. Of course it's more difficult getting out with a baby and small children when it's raining heavily every weekend.
My only advice for brief respite is if you are within driving distance of a wooded area its usually less soggy there. I've spent 45 mins stood under one big tree in a local-ish park while the children drew with sticks in the ground. Quick dash back to car, and home for tea. I agree that picnics in the rain are zero fun. But if its to pass an afternoon, I've found... getting everyone ready and having a snack after added onto the limited time outside it was worth it.
Hang on in there and wishing you a sunny summer 🤞🤞

(Slightly off topic, but re all the comments about Vitamin D - everyone needs to be taking Vitamin D orally in the winter even when the weather is good in the UK. I know this doesn't solve the other issues, but even when a winter is relatively sunny people should not be relying on sunlight for their Vit D in the UK.)

I hear you, OP. We moved home to Northern Ireland a couple of years ago after many years in SW England and I was not prepared for the weather. SW England is relatively dry. It has been raining since last July and is constantly windy so you can't even put up an umbrella and it feels colder than it actually is because the wind cuts through you. My daughter is well past the age of enjoying puddle jumping and even my hardy husband is fed up with it. It's making me beyond depressed. We can't just move because of caring responsibilities but I just can't do this for the rest of my life.

I would defy any of the "no bad weather, only unsuitable clothing" insufferable lot to enjoy this.

It did actually stop raining for most of yesterday and I finally managed to now the lawn but it's like a swamp.

I agree the constant rain and grey is very tedious but think back a couple of years when we had more dry days then ever: there were hosepipe ban everywhere, our crops were at risk of failing, livestocks affected, wild fire that took hold and you can see smoke for miles...be careful of what you wish for.

The only people who worry about drought are farmers generally, it doesn't have much effect on anyone else.

this winter has been very wet, my lawn has turned to moss in places, which it hasn’t past three winters. However spring has sprung! After next Saturday clocks go back, lighter evenings.

OP take some vitamins, do an inside picnic, don wellies and puddle jump?

You definitely wouldn't want to live in Manchester. It's always rained a lot.

Get puddle suit wellies and a baby umbrella. You need a decent raincoat wellies umbrella I also like waterproof trousers if its bad.

I find that walking in parks where there are trees provides shelter. Ditto forest walks.

Stop for a coffee in the park cafe.

As Peppa pig says "the rainiest days make the muddiest puddles"!

I could never stay in when dc were young. Even now we get out.

Really bad weather we go to a museum
There's only so much soft play I can cope with and my dc are better for fresh air.

Come back in, wash mud off boots, put wet muddy clothes straight in machine. Raincoats gey wiped rather than ruin waterproof coating too soon.

Should stop the stir crazy feeling.

@IloveAslan A country that doesn't have food security is always in danger. Why do you think we need to support our farming industry?

I agree, it sucks. It's always like this. It's spring so we expect a bit of warmth and sunshine but realistically it's still so cold and wet. We just take a chance to go out in between showers and keep an eye on the forecast. Better days are coming.

Buy waterproofs and wellies for all, then off you go.
We do beach walks, country parks etc even in the rain

Having and working with horses I spend my life outside and it is definitely wetter this year (and back end of 2023) than it has been in recent memory. So wet fields are having to close in some areas as it’s dangerous. Yards are closing fields that have never had to before.

Generally I’m fine with the rain - but it’s even starting to take its toll on me and I have all the waterproof stuff 🤣

I get it, OP. Where we live, it is cold, dark, and raining for about 6 months straight in the winter, and it does really get me down. It’s been getting worse over the years and this is the second year I’ve really struggled with SAD, with February/March always being the worst time. I’ve started taking vitamin D religiously and it does help, but I have also resigned myself to the fact that I need to book an outdoorsy sun holiday for the February break. It helps to have something to look forward to, and the literal vitamin D recharge really helps me to get through the rest of the winter months until spring hits. It doesn’t have to be super long-haul, just somewhere dry and warm enough to be outside with your kids in the sun.

You are correct op. It has rained the majority of days ( at some point) since the middle of July. We only get a couple of consecutive dry days.

There have been several cancellations of events ( although strong winds have also played a part) , fields are waterlogged , everything is muddy and the rivers are high.

It isn't just about getting wet.

It has rain slightly more then normal this year , but as someone who manages an hours playtime duty every day - quite often more , plus a few outside pe lessons and outdoor learning for good measure- don’t think that I can agree with you !
i think we have only had 3 times since Christmas we had had to call off due to the weather.
maybe try get out even if it’s spitting. It sounds like it might be beneficial for you guys !

last two days I have sat in the garden with a cup of tea at some point

If you have the money we still go to the zoo in the rain. There's normally indoor areas. And we have seen animals we never see in good weather in the rain.

We also bought some waterproof trousers and jackets from sports direct. Not the best looking but keep you dry

Hi OP, I'm with you on this one. To all the people who are suggesting "just wrap up" they must not have kids that hate wind and rain. My children will play outside in the cold but hate rain and wind. Wrapping a child up warm is great until they get wet, not even waterproofs are enough for British rain and landscape.

Winter was shocking where I live, never had a winter with so much rain, honestly the winds and storms were one after the other! Barely any frost or ice. My backyard is off limits still to the kids because it's literally a swamp. It's never looked like this. We had our 2nd hottest year on record. How I don't know since summer was shite last year. But I honestly think this is the new normal for britain. Our typical frosty winters are gone. I expected January to February for a freeze to give the mud a break but not where I am (coastal NW)

I completely agree. Are there really 20 pages of people telling the OP she's unreasonable for finding rain unenjoyable? The only thing more miserable than being outside in the rain is being jollied along by people who boast that they're "out and about" in all weathers.

Keep your "out and about"! Being cold and wet is fucking awful and I reserve the right to moan about it if I either have to be in it, or if it keeps me from doing enjoyable things.

Can't be arsed having Easter in the rain this year too! Last year our Easter pics were sunshine and T-shirts...

Raining all the time in Yorkshire. Parks too muddy and I don't fancy cleaning my toddler up afterwards.

The rain is definitely pissing me off (oh and the mud!) and it does feel like it's not done much more than rain recently. But you do sound a bit of a defeatist misery OP. Sometimes you do just need to get on with life. It's not always going to be ideal weather in the UK. And to be honest with climate change in full swing I think we are going to see more and more extremes of weather - very dry, very wet, very hot, very cold, etc. so best make your peace with it.

My kids would go bonkers if we didn't get outside daily, rain or no rain. They usually have a fun time out and about whatever the weather. They loved a puddle! 😆

You might actually feel better about life if you make the effort and get outside more often. Sitting indoors all the time isn't good for your mental state.

Absolutely agree with you OP!!
I'm a SAHP and trying to entertain a wild toddler all day, every day when most of the day seems to be raining is fucking annoying me.
We live on a farm (not ours) it's so muddy everywhere, everyone here is pissed off. All the local farmers are upset as they haven't planted crops, or the ones they have are struggling. They can't just 'crack on'. We didn't have the best year last year with rain and this one has started even worse. No doubt food is going to be even more expensive if crops are struggling this year 😥
We are an outdoors family with all the gear but constant rain, mud and cold just frankly isn't hugely appealing right now

Plus we are near the coast and we usually get very little rain!