One piece missing- mud jigsaw puzzle

It's a pity it isn't Abstract Thursday as the mud on top of the concrete slabs at the Riwaka Cemetery is cracking as it dries and making lovely abstract stained glass window effects. See extras for how thick it is in parts and how it got in.

It is very fine silt which is why our area is so fertile. However we didn't want it coming down in mudslides or flooded rivers like it did just days ago. The cemetery is a minor problem and the grass will grow again and the mud get cleaned off. The problem is with roads up many valleys now becoming the river or stream, houses full of mud, people displaced maybe forever. Much more widespread devastation than was first realised.
Unfortunately it is also harvest time for hops and apples and so sheds that were flooded have had to be hurriedly cleaned in readiness. This is top quality machinery and the fruit for export and the standards need to be kept high. The ground is so wet that tractors are having difficulty getting through the gardens and orchards. Not a lot of spare labour for cleaning up with everyone working. A conundrum.

We did a quick scrape of mud on our family plots and will go back when it is dry to wash and sweep. The old hand pump handle has been wrenched off so no water either.