We are an off-shore island, Chuck, so our weather is determined by the Atlantic ocean. That means it varies all the time, unlike Continental climates which are pretty predictable at a particular time of year. My Dad used to say "Other countries have climates, we have weather." Perhaps it is the reason we are always talking about it
Same goes for soil really, where I grew up in North London was next door to a disused gravel pit, where I live now in the Weald is solid glacial clay, either end of the country, Dartmoor and the Scottish Highlands, you have granite outcrops and over to the East in Lincolnshire it is flat, black, loam.
I admit I am not very familiar with Swansea, where curren19 comes from, but as Wales is one of the first places the prevailing SW winds hit after coming across the ocean it is usually reckoned to be pretty wet. However this year has been one of the driest on record, rainfall where I am is down about a third below average, and there have been records set for heat, so it is tempting to think that may be the cause of the trouble. There don't appear to be the large gaps between turves you get when they are badly laid either, which might imply that it was also rolled properly.
Mind, I admit I am generally biased against turf, there are some terrible shysters out there who will strip any old field, or strip the same field again and again, and the way it comes rolled you really can't tell what it is like until you start to lay it. Also it can mean that the top inch or two is quite different soil from what is underneath, and sometimes roots will just not want to make that jump and bridge the gap. That might mean it's worth rotorvating the whole thing before seeding, but what I am suggesting is an awful lot less work, and not too expensive, well worth a try.
