Sunday 21 January 2018

A touch stir crazy ...

... (yesterday it rained solidly all day and this morning's not been much better) we take advantage of a brief break in the clouds to get some fresh air and set off with the dogs to walk the quays in town. The Garonne is only millimetres away from spilling across the cobbles.  In places, we walk through muddy slime - the river has already encroached and, briefly, receded.  The "vigicrues" (flood warning) graph shows the Garonne to be 4.40 metres at 11.45am, on a rapidly accelerating upward slope - the quays won't be walkable for much longer.

We return to find sodden towels in the cottage hallway. Removing his wellington boots and heading for the kitchen for coffee and toast, Tod grumps as he accidentally walks through an invisible puddle in his socked feet.

Water is steadily dribbling from the main electricity cable where it enters the house, collecting in the meter cupboard and then oozing out across the tiled floor.  Sopping towels wedged round the bottom of the cupboard only hold the water back briefly.  I squeeze them out on the lawn outside and feel like the Sorcerer's Apprentice.  The water table is now so high that the ground is saturated and the rain has nowhere else to go except along the sheath of the cable and into the cottage.

We've been here before in wet weather, but not often and not for a few years.  It seems worse this winter and with the sharp upward direction of the vigicrues graph, unlikely to get better any time soon.  I suggest to Tod that for the next few days he keeps his wellingtons on whilst circumnavigating the hall and the kitchen.

5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hello Fly, thank you for your sympathy. It is a bit dreadful! :) We're struggling with about eight towels and having to wring them out every hour or so. Tonight will be "interesting"! I have huge sympathy for anyone caught in serious flooding.

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  2. These things that need sorting out usually happen at weekends. We are without our C.H. oil boiler at the moment. Delivery of an essential new part has delayed the installation of a new boiler. The joys of homeownership and winter weather. Lesley

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    1. Oh Lesley, that's tough. And yes, these things do seem to happen at weekends! Do hope you have some heating and are managing to keep warm, and that the new part arrives soon.

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  3. I came across your interesting journey to obtain a Carte de Sejours. Could you explain one thing if you have a monment? Re Birth Certificates, does the actual Birth Certificate itself have to be isued within 3 months, or the official translation of the Certificate? My husband although British was born in South Africa, and it can take 6 months to get a certificate!! jacqueline.demarigny@gmail.com Hope you get this!!! Kind regards and lovely blog!!

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