Rain please – but only at night!

Photo: Ricardo Cruz, Unsplash

"When did it last rain in Somerset?" I asked google. 15th May it said.

Wow! That's more than three weeks ago!

Did you know that a drought is usually defined as an extended period of about 3 weeks when less than a third of the usual rain/snow/hail (wet stuff dropping from the sky!) falls.

In the United Kingdom an absolute drought is defined "as a period of at least 15 consecutive days when there is less than 0.2 mm (0.008 inches) of rainfall".

So, whilst I'm not sure a drought has been 'officially' declared, we could perhaps think about our water usage.

Wessex Water's website has a section on how you can reduce your water usage and save water both indoors and out. Click the link here to get some hints and tips – some are pretty obvious, but you may just find the odd gem in there, such as;

• running the tap whilst brushing your teeth can use up to nine litres of water a minute. And why would you (in hindsight)? Just turn it on when you are ready to rinse.
• water your plants thoroughly just once a week rather than giving them a light watering daily allowing water to soak right into the soil to reach the roots and prevent shallow roots from forming (my thought is this may not actually work with pots, but someone out there with better gardening knowledge might just answer that for me).

Try the ' GetWaterFit ' questionnaire to see how you can save water in your own household based on your current usage with hints for quick wins and, at the end, a selection of free water saving products to order. Woo hoo!

In the meantime, we could perhaps all just do a little rain dance now and then, or pray to our chosen god for a drop of rain.

But please, like the Camelot of Arthurian legend, only at night!