Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Wanted - 300 cubits of wood

Yesterday it lashed it down all over the country, just as it lashed it down all last week too.

Three people died in the floods in south and east yorkshire and last night thousands of home owners will have spent a sweaty night wondering if they really did renew their home insurance.

We're lucky in that we live on the highest hill in Leeds although just 200 yards or so away, right on top of the hill is a rather large water tower and pumping station with a huge underground reservoir to serve the whole of this end of Leeds, if that ever bursts then our street will soon be at the bottom of the hill, indeed when my pond collapsed a couple of months ago it panicked the neighbours further down the road into climbing onto their roofs and laying out banners on the tiles for the rescue helicopters that read "save us first please".

Leeds is placed right in the middle of the country so the river that runs through our city, the Aire, is not of estuary proportions, not normally its not, last night it was though and the owners of the luxury riverside apartment buildings around the Brewery Wharf will be visiting their underground garages this morning and wondering why there is so much mud around and where is the BMW, in fact where is everyone's BMW ?

Parts of the city centre were evacuated last night and the railway station closed as it too borders the river and all routes south were cut off, there are still no trains to the south of the city this morning.

More importantly my above ground pond is now full to the brim and in my new design calculation I never allowed for the fact that it might be so full. The fish are now able to peek over the top of the rim and call to each other, "look everyone, people, over there, people", I just hope they don't get any crazy ideas about evolving quickly into air breathing creatures as one of their kind did a couple of months ago, he didn't evolve quick enough once out of the water and lasted for about two hours on the lawn before a magpie took him away.

This morning started off sunny and bright but its clouding over again and whilst I'm now in the office, if it starts to rain anymore I may go back to the house on the hill where it will at least be safe from floods until the water tower topples over, then we're all fooked.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's torrential here also. The weekend was claustrophobic! Could barely get outside. I am planning a major trek out to the letterbox this morning, wearing a swimsuit and snorkel.

Gary said...

If there's one place that I wouldn't want to be in times of biblical rainfall its a small low lying island, start gathering animals, two by two.

Anonymous said...

Was unable to retrieve mail. Fought bravely, swam strongly, made it half-way, feared for life, had to turn back.

Will keep you posted.