In my last diary I discussed the drought situation and its effect on lifestylers.

I also assumed that by now the weather would be back to normal conditions for this time of year. How wrong can you be?

Brian rakes it all up.

We have had some rain but nowhere near enough to rectify the damage caused by the drought.

Pastures have greened up but the grass is not growing as it should be which I believe is the result of not enough rain. As an indication my pond was about 1.5m below its normal level two months ago and has hardly increased up to now.

The drought has had major repercussions for farmers but this is also reflected in costs for lifestylers.

In my case I have used most of my winter hay and will need to buy some more in the next week or two. I am also continuing to feed my ewes sheep nuts to keep them in good condition. 

This is a huge added cost – and I’m sure one I share with many of you.

The dry ground has also had a major effect on fences and gates with posts shifting and making it difficult to shut gates. These of course all cost to repair and take up time.

The greatest cost many lifestyle properties have had to face – and at the time of writing are still facing – is water.

No – things have not been easy.  The water suppliers have had the busiest summer they have had for many a year and have had difficulty in keeping up with orders.

This has also been a huge cost for many. Things aren’t all bad though as it seems to be a great season for mushrooms!

As an addition to my diary each month I’m going to cover some product information – I don’t intend to endorse or debunk products but simply to give my personal view on how I have found them.

These opinions are not necessarily those of the newspaper and have not been commented on by the manufacturer – nor have I sought advertising from them. 

Of course if they like what I write – they are more than welcome to call our advertising team…

Anyway, my product this month is a common old leaf rake – only this one is not so common.

Over the years I have used more than a dozen different brands, styles, and shapes of rake.

This autumn I purchased a FISKAR’S rake and I have found it superior to any other I have ever had.

It’s light, strong, and easy to use and obviously the designer put a great deal of effort into the product.  I highly recommend this rake.

As a footnote, I have had so many readers asking me for progress on ElSuDoKu, our competition horse.

The news is all good and I must say he is maturing nicely and enjoying life.

Next month I hope to have some photos and a full update – thank you all for your interest.

See you next month.