Wet and windy down here no sleet – yet! Just dark and miserable.
Ray.

Conditions are much the same here in Somerset, very, very wet and I am lucky not to be on the levels which will remain flooded for many weeks even if it stops raining. It is very rare for me to be able to get on the veg patch with the rotavator before March due to wet ground conditions. Checked the chickens this morning and surprised to find they have not grown webbed feet yet!
I was brought up near the Wilts/Glos border at Highworth.

Looking at pictures of the flooded areas, it always fascinates me how miles of land can be under water, but all the old churches and farm-steads are on little islands. Just shows our ancestors weren’t so daft after all!.
In the case of the Somerset Levels, it is amusing watching the Environment Agency tying themselves up in knots trying to deny that their complete neglect of the rivers and drains over the last twenty years has had anything to do with the currant situation!.

Apparently any place name on the levels that ends with ‘ney’ is an island eg Muchelney so residents should not be surprised when they get cut off. Muchelney is cut off and there is a now a completely submerged car on the road to the village, so that makes it about 4ft deep!!!

I well remember in Sussex that when it was East Sussex River Board, they had two Priestman draglines that were in constant use all Year dredging out rivers and in some cases fairly small ones, to keep the water flowing. But when the Environment agency took over, that all stopped, which must contribute to todays problems, apart from the Environment Agency sanctioning planning consent on flood plain and other unsuitable sites.
‘ Progress they call it’