Tuesday 26 November 2013

Rain stopped play.

My front garden on Monday.

On my first trip back to the UK after my first winter in Bodrum c.1983,  I bought a pair of knee-high rubber riding boots. I was extremely proud of them and especially loved the leather lining.  Did I have a horse?  No.  Did I ride?  No.  Were they the most useful foot-ware I ever bought? Yes.  I still have them and wish my legs were svelte enough to get into them.  They were the only boots that were high enough to ford the rivers that Bodrum roads turn into after a heavy rainfall.  I was under the impression that we now had super drainage around the Bodrum peninsula and that the days of the flash flood were over, but mother nature knows better.  On Monday between 77 and 85 kgs of rain fell in a hour (that's over 3 inches in UK terms) and the drainage systems gave up the ghost.  There are pictures of what looks like a tidal wave running down Bodrum's main street.  

Photo credit to Bodrum'un Bilinmeyenleri Facebook page. 
On Monday morning, I drove into town from the village with plans to visit the bank, help my daughter move house, enrol at the gym and walk to this week's writing circle.  I arrived early so I could fit in a walk around Bodrum with Jake.  We got to our car park just as the first rain drops started and then were stranded indoors for the next 3 hours as the water level rose steadily around our town house. The electricity went off, followed by my mobile phone network and smells started emanating from the dog suggesting that a trip outside should be sooner rather than later.   I had to don my much too short wellies and the dog had to practice the paddle that forever has been named after his species as we braved the weather for a toilet break.

My front path turns into a very attractive pond.
I did eventually get to the b-fit gym at about 6pm and signed up for the next 4 months. I should concentrate on the lower leg region to hopefully be able to squeeze back into my riding boots ready for the next downpour.

14 comments:

  1. That is an incredible amount of rain - wished we had the right infrastructure/drainage to deal with it - what an investment was your rubber boots!: ) Selamlar, Ozlem

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  2. Tally ho! We heard about the storms. I wonder if our old house escaped the deluge?

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    1. I walked past it yesterday - it looks fine from the outside.

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  3. Replies
    1. This was the heaviest rain I've seen in years.

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  4. in other circumstances I'd be glad to be out of it!

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  5. There was certainly an awful lot of rain. Feeling grateful for living at the top of the hill right now x

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    1. Hope Mr. A's wall is standing up to the deluge.

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  6. Crikey, Annie, that's some rain! Next time you better get some fishermen's waders. Hope it all dries out soon.

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  7. Boy...that was some rain you had....I know how that is. Our house this summer was flooded, especially the lower level...all 1600 sq. feet of it in 5 feet of sewage and wherever water that seemed to pour in from....It took 5 months of renovating..UGH! Now to set things back, well I mean to purchase b/c all was lost....so sad my Mom's (RIP) things were there.
    It also poured in Izmir but our apt. is above sea level, and on the 3rd floor so it didn't get soaked....

    Take care.....

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    1. So sorry to hear about your flood. That must have been a massive clear up.

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