Wanda

I thought Wanda originated in the UK but having investigated have to acknowledge the Brits are in this case not at fault. It's the French. Bit like the Scallops Wars with UK fishermen brewing off the French coast.

She started to build up over the Pyrenees and headed northeast pushing Veronique, sitting off the Irish/Scottish coasts, up towards Iceland and thus improving the UK situation but also shoving Niklot, who had been so kind to us the last few days, off towards Russia.

The Daily Express and even similar German "News" papers rags are predicting scorching Sahara weather returning soon and we can expect to spend Christmas at the seaside/poolside.

I have explained the German naming of High & Lows lots in the past. Wanda was strangely named by Dr Petra Degenhardt. Googling that name, it looks like it very probably she is the Head of Pediatric Surgery at the Ernst von Bergmann Clinic at Potsdam Hospital. Amazing what you can find out.

However, I can't be sure and indeed one doesn't always know whether she "bought" the Low or was given it as a present. And why "Wanda"? I suspect we will never know and thus I don't blame her for temporarily ending summer!

At 18:00 Angie said the sky was turning black and could I walk Luna. A quick check of the mobile phone storm app showed Wanda was over Lichtenstein and indeed heading our way. So we set off and did a relatively quick walk around the maize fields north of the village where it looked a touch better. See extra photo of storm screenshot at 18:08 and 19:20 - the main photo was taken at 18:18 as we set off on the walk.

The maize harvest has indeed started but hasn't really got up momentum. With the forecast poor until next week, I suspect it will not restart until then. I did take the opportunity to appropriate some maize but in proper Bavarian fashion, just the "ears" that had fallen to the ground and not been collected up by the machines. See extra photo.

Hunter MrB will tell you that these are the reason that wild boar tend to dig up fields in autumn/winter and get the farmers complaining. They will often now plough the maize stubble and sow winter cereals. What they thereby do is plough the fallen full ears into the ground where they are nicely stored. Wild boar treat this as their winter food larder and thereby dig up the cereal seedlings.

This "appropriation" is normal but as I have done before, comes with a warning. Many of the plants on fields are not for human consumption - this applies in particular to maize (animal silage feed or organic-gas units) and potatoes (industrial starch). Again the story of the Gardening Magazine Editor-in-Chief who appropriated some potatoes from a field missed by the harvester. Carefully stored them over winter, planted them in spring and eventually with great delight and pride, sat down his family for a "New Potato Feast". They were an inedible starch variety.

I did dig up the last of our human vegetable plot potatoes this afternoon and put them away before the rain comes. Mr Mole has left us a few.

The horses - Sultan only, Rosie musn't - and chickens will enjoy a few maize treats from time to time over the next few weeks.

Luna and I didn't do a long walk as the thunder started and Luna hates it. I would have liked to have had a swim afterwards as the pool is just bearable at 25°C but when home I had to get some carrots from the veg plot for dinner and discovered Mr Mole has been hyper-active. Ended up digging up the rest of that row and exactly then the first raindrops arrived followed shortly afterwards by a very strong storm.

PS the blue sign "Wasserschutzgebiet" shows the area is legally protected to ensure/secure the quality of the groundwater and brings restrictions for most things done there especially agriculture. The fenced in area is directly over our parish drinking water well. I have little trust in many of these "protected areas". How can a maize field that will have got tons of slurry and no doubt Roundup, be bang alongside the well? It's no wonder that the German Government is being dragged through the EU courts for lack of action in reducing the high level of nitrate in drinking water. Our water has very high levels (data published twice annually by parish) although we are told they are within the set limits.