I know, a drought is not what anyone would think of in relation to Ireland. Having had the longest, wettest Winter anyone can remember, we had about a week of Spring, then straight to Summer.
Not just any old Summer though.
The temperatures have been crazy. Many days here in Tipperary have been over 30 degrees Celsius. It was lovely to have that beautiful sunshine, and to be able to just pull on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.
Weeks into it and things are looking very serious.
There is a ‘hose’ ban in place for the entire country until at least the end of July.
We are so very glad we stuck with the plan and maintained our own well.
We, thankfully, have sufficient water.
You’d be astonished at how much water hens and ducks drink. Pigs need water to drink but also to wallow. Pigs roll in wet mud to protect themselves from the sun – pig sunscreen!
Our 1,000 litre rain barrel is almost empty, but we have 2 smaller ones on standby.
We’ve watched our neighbours hauling 10+ tonnes of water for their cattle every day! They are pumping water from a stream/spring to supplement their mains supply. Can you imagine the effort involved in that? Can you imagine the extra costs they are incurring?
The grass isn’t growing, and is in fact parched.
Our soft fruits harvest is way down on previous years. Last year I harvested 6 lbs of raspberries in one day. This year I’ve only managed to get 2 lbs over the past week!
In conversations recently with city folk, there does seem to be a complete disconnect to just how critical water is to our food supply. Plants and animals need both sunshine and water to survive.
I am no economist, but I would suggest that fruit and vegetables, in fact all food is going to increase in price, and is going to be in short supply – both for animals and for humans.
Worrying times ahead.
A Year In Redwood 