Wet, Wet, Wet

The forecasters got it right  - very windy almost storm force, rain with light flooding, cold with snow showers. I don't remember if lightning and thunder was on the maps but by the time they came late afternoon, it didn't matter and couldn't do much to make it more miserable than it was.

In the morning I even refused at first to take the dogs for a walk but by mid morning gave way to the sorrowful looks and we ended up getting probably the only hour spot where the wind was just a strong breeze and the rain, drizzle.

Back home had no choice but to do all the various tasks that become necessary when the first big frosts are coming. Emptying the swimming pool, at least to below the filter intake, the pump, sand filter, solar heating pipes on the roof of a barn. Then shutting off the outdoor water supply and opening all the valves and shutting down the water pipes in and around the horse stables. We have a heated water pipe to the horses overnight stalls and their shelter. Then their are all the 300 and 1000 litre rainwater tanks spread around the garden which have to be emptied. Have left two big ones - one for the chickens and one for the horses for the time being as I hope it won't yet get to be that bad.

Schlepping water buckets about for the animals can be a real pain when it's -10°C at midday. Luckily we now only have two horses (originally 4) and they can easily drink 50 litres a day.

Angie felt up to (duty bound) taking the dogs for a late afternoon walk. As she loaded them in to the car, the heavens opened with a glorious hailstorm. She fled to the forest above Ottobeuren as it looked less grey in that direction. Five minutes in to the walk, the heavens opened again with a snow storm, lightning and thunder. It was a short walk!
 
The Blip scene was directly outside our house entrance as we returned by car from the walk. The pool on the left caused by a field ditch that enters a pipe here to go under the road behind me. In the centre our piddle of a stream breaking out of it's banks. The same one that was Bliped on Wednesday although that scene was taken several hundred meters further upstream.

Would not mind some good dry sunny weather - which at this time of year also means cold - for the next three weeks and then on 1st December it can throw the full winter bit at us and make way for some great "traditional" Christmas markets and sledging the following week.