The Rains

Some of you have experienced it, most of you have probably only read about it on the Internet or heard about it on the news.


We had a good deal of it here on Friday morning - a lot of the local roads were flooded. They actually sent us all home from work early because they knew the river next to our building would flood over the road and we wouldn't be able to get out. The rain had pretty much subsided by the time we left, but the flooding didn't. Of the 3 routes I normally take, I knew one would be flooded, so I took a different one. Unfortunately, there was a low point in the road I didn't consider, and the water was deep for about 10 car lengths...and there were 3 cars stranded on my side of the road (that had not come through the water very successfully) and 2 on the other. Even some taller vehicles, not just little rat-runners like mine! So, I waited for the car in front of me to go through (didn't want to get stuck behind him, that's for sure!), and then I started out slowly, kept it slow, and periodically I would engage the clutch and gently rev the engine to be sure the water didn't linger. That, and lots of prayer, and I made it through. A few more revs on the other side, and I sailed home. The sun was actually shining the last few minutes!


I got home and worked for a few hours, then Dave and I drove up to Suffolk for the weekend. We didn't have any more rain at all...until we were driving back from Norwich on Saturday. We went there with Mike and had beautiful weather all day - until we were about 30 minutes away from our temporary home, and then the skies just opened up! I was wishing I had one more notch on my windshield wipers! 3 was just not clearing it! The rain ended, and Mike headed home.


We're home again now, and the only evidence of the torrents of rain here is that our phone is down. Our internet isn't. I don't understand that, but it apparently has to do with telephone magic. BT expects that they will have the problem fixed by the morning of August 3rd. Today is the 22nd. That's, like, 2 weeks without a phone. Two. Weeks.


Man, I hope BT is wrong!


But, at least the Internet is still working...and, really, loads and loads of other Brits have it way worse than I do right now. I've got water. And electricity. And a dry floor. My pets are secure. I'm pretty blessed.


Sadly, they are predicting more rains for tomorrow. Coming up from France again. Seriously - the Frenchies shouldn't be quite so generous!! Good things that come from France: cheese, wine, lace...not weather.