Floody Muddy Waters

The River Mole

AS you might have heard on various news broadcasts Somerset, Devon and Cornwall has been battered by heavy rainfall and storm-force winds since before Christmas.

The rain has hardly stopped, and with strong winds and high spring tides flood alerts have been in place almost every day.

Somerset and the south Coast of Devon, in particular have been hard hit.

Here at Windfall Farm we've been spared the worst, although the sound of the wind some nights is a bit scary, especiually when it comes direct from the south as i can hear it coming across the field, passing over the stables at the top of the garden and then it hits or windows before leap-frogging over the roof and tearing off down the hill into the Taw Valley.

A few nights ago it sounded like an express train roaring past.

Rain-wise, I'm sick of getting wet, the fields are growing a wonderful crop of mud and the horses are bored stiff as we are not turning them out (if we did, what was left of the grass would be ruined) Fortunately we have the menage, so they can stretch their legs in there/

Kathy is getting used to riding in the rain, but when the wind is high the horses don't like it, so on occasion it has been safer not to ride.

Grey skies over the sheep fields

rain-drenched Devon lane

Here's a few photos I took of the local rivers.

The Mole, just outside South Molton

The Taw, at the Portsmouth Arms (right beside where the Tarka Line train runs)

I can just see a small part of the Taw from our bedroom window - and I can hear it at night as it rushes along. Fortunately we are quite a height above the valley!