well this poor american went through the same thing you did. got 8 inches and 3 days later the good ol nebraskan winds fired up at 60 MPH and made the ground harder then it was before.
Tracy we could do with about 4 inches of your eight. Its dry and wintery up here in the mountains. The creeks and gullies are running well as they usually do in this spring fed area. We never have problems with water only what comes out of the sky.
Colin