Wet and Webbed Feet - Will We Have To Rethink Living With Wetter Weather?

I don't know about you but after 3 years of wet Summers, and the urge to shoot the person who said we were going to have a barbeque summer last year, I'm wondering how things may have to change if the trend continues.

How many of you are guilty of wanting a 'no (or low) maintenance' garden and have covered everything with concrete and gravel? Problem is the water that used to just soak into the ground now has nowhere to go but down the drain. If the drains cannot cope then flooding occurs and that is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Perhaps the Government will do something about building houses on flood prone areas. But money talks as always. Maybe they should weigh up the pros and cons between the profit on selling the land and houses, and the insurance premiums for the householders, the cost of flood defences and the cost (both emotional and monetary) when someone loses their home to stinking sewage ladened water.

On the home front we may have to reconsider concreting over everything. Those of us who know where water gathers in the garden in really bad weather will have to research the best plants to grow. Ones that love water, like hydrangeas, and plants that can cope with being frozen during the winter, for where's there water there's bound to be ice if we get a fall in temperature too.

Another thing to think about - if we're suffering from more damp than usual - is whether we will suffer from a rise in moulds and fungus in our homes. Will painting everything in special paint be the norm? Will every bath silicon contain a fungicide? Will someone develop a long lasting solution to algae and slime?

But on a lighter note - wouldn't it be nice if all rainwear, wellies, umbrellas etc became brightly coloured? It will be made a rule that, because Britons are fed up with being wet, wet, wet - all wet weather gear will be designed to cheer us up. No more green wellies except for farmers, instead we'll have spots, stripes, and ones with sun beams on them. There will be hats and visors with special lights in them so we get our dose of vitamin D. The country needs a dose of vitamin D to get it out of the recession - give us a couple of decent summers and the country will be back on its feet again.

So that's it - ban concrete, build in the right place and buy some bright yellow wellies!