Weekend fun - part 2
It's commonly known that the British love to chat about the weather - in fact, it rules our lives. Well, this weekend will keep us going for months to come! It started on Friday night when my roof decided it was going to leak again. It's been fine for the last 6 months or so, but not on Friday. It seems that the wind has to be blowing in a certain direction, at a certain speed. Of course, it generally doesn't leak during the day when I'm not there (but the buckets are) but at night, so I spent the night on the sofa bed. I can sleep through many things like fire engines, but not drip, drip, drip.
Saturday was lovely and so warm I actually walked around town with a summer top on and sun glasses. With the clocks going back last weekend, it's dark going to work and dark coming home from work so seeing the sun was nice.
But yesterday was wet. It basically rained from early morning through to early this morning. The roads were fine when I went up to Aberdeen, alot of spray but that was about it. I left Maria's at 4pm and didn't get home until around 6.45pm and I nearly didn't make it either. Where did all the rain come from?!
It was worse south of Stonehaven really but some cars didn't have their lights on, others passed you even when you were ploughing through water and trying to get to the dry side. Some folk are so inconsiderate. I knew the Laurencekirk junction was closed for roadworks so I turned off to go towards Hillside - closed due to flooding. Made it to Brechin through floods, only to discover from the police that the Montrose-Brechin road was shut. Headed off towards Arbroath and debated whether to go via Arbroath or take the B road to Montrose. I chose the latter and got through several floods though strangely enough, the bit I expected to be flooded wasn't that bad. I must admit that along this road I did wonder if the car would make it but all credit to it and several prayers, it did.
I reached the main road and splashed into Montrose only to discover Ferryden was shut!! Talk about feeling thwarted. I basically turned the car around as there were two cars abandoned in the water so kinda reckoned I wouldn't make it and parked at Rossie Island (just before the bridge going into the centre of town) and left the car there. I, of course, had to then get along that flooded street to my house so waded through knee-deep freezing water. Now that stretch of road takes about 15 mins to walk so most of that 15 mins involved wading. I got home dripping and our street was fine as we're higher up and on a slight slope. Once I was in the house, the absolute silence was amazing. I hadn't realised how noisy the wind (which could have been worse), rain and running water had been. I now have no wet-weather footwear as one pair are sopping wet and the others have holes in them!
This morning, I packed my work clothes etc. and popped the wellies on (hate them) but at the bottom of the road, I knew I wouldn't get through. The workmen were there starting to clear up but so was the water. Also, I have to travel to Forfar to work and wasn't sure what the road or car would be like having swum most of it last night. So I've used one of my annual leave days and phoned in and I've spent the day on the PC which is what I'd be doing at work anyway.
At lunchtime, I walked in to see if I could fetch the car and the mud was like melted chocolate. The road was still closed as the men were clearing up the mud and debris. The car was fine, started first time though I wouldn't have blamed it if it didn't. The brakes were a little gritty and the car was filthy but the lights work as far as I can see. I'll need to double-check them tonight in the dark. The last car I had, an Astra, all the lights shorted when I went through a puddle so it wouldn't have made it at all.
Of course, the workmen said the back roads were opened so I took the car that way but no, met another flood! I decided not to chance it and reversed until I could turn (single track road of course). So I headed back into Montrose and went through the closed road signs and got home that way. I decided after subjecting the car to all that water the least I could do was wash it! So it's nice and sparkly clean.
I'm glad I decided to take the B road home as the Montrose to Arbroath road was shut in at least 2 places. If I'd made it to the centre I could have stayed with mum but from the reports, I doubt I'd have got halfway to Arbroath. Angus suffered flooding a couple of months ago but last night was the worst that I've experienced or remember. On the road to the lighthouse, there's been a landslide from the road down to the beach so folk can still walk. Apart from wading through freezing water, I'll remember the startling difference between a quiet house (whose roof was fine by the way!) and the noise from the weather and the running water. Still, it's an experience I'd care not to repeat.
Saturday was lovely and so warm I actually walked around town with a summer top on and sun glasses. With the clocks going back last weekend, it's dark going to work and dark coming home from work so seeing the sun was nice.
But yesterday was wet. It basically rained from early morning through to early this morning. The roads were fine when I went up to Aberdeen, alot of spray but that was about it. I left Maria's at 4pm and didn't get home until around 6.45pm and I nearly didn't make it either. Where did all the rain come from?!
It was worse south of Stonehaven really but some cars didn't have their lights on, others passed you even when you were ploughing through water and trying to get to the dry side. Some folk are so inconsiderate. I knew the Laurencekirk junction was closed for roadworks so I turned off to go towards Hillside - closed due to flooding. Made it to Brechin through floods, only to discover from the police that the Montrose-Brechin road was shut. Headed off towards Arbroath and debated whether to go via Arbroath or take the B road to Montrose. I chose the latter and got through several floods though strangely enough, the bit I expected to be flooded wasn't that bad. I must admit that along this road I did wonder if the car would make it but all credit to it and several prayers, it did.
I reached the main road and splashed into Montrose only to discover Ferryden was shut!! Talk about feeling thwarted. I basically turned the car around as there were two cars abandoned in the water so kinda reckoned I wouldn't make it and parked at Rossie Island (just before the bridge going into the centre of town) and left the car there. I, of course, had to then get along that flooded street to my house so waded through knee-deep freezing water. Now that stretch of road takes about 15 mins to walk so most of that 15 mins involved wading. I got home dripping and our street was fine as we're higher up and on a slight slope. Once I was in the house, the absolute silence was amazing. I hadn't realised how noisy the wind (which could have been worse), rain and running water had been. I now have no wet-weather footwear as one pair are sopping wet and the others have holes in them!
This morning, I packed my work clothes etc. and popped the wellies on (hate them) but at the bottom of the road, I knew I wouldn't get through. The workmen were there starting to clear up but so was the water. Also, I have to travel to Forfar to work and wasn't sure what the road or car would be like having swum most of it last night. So I've used one of my annual leave days and phoned in and I've spent the day on the PC which is what I'd be doing at work anyway.
At lunchtime, I walked in to see if I could fetch the car and the mud was like melted chocolate. The road was still closed as the men were clearing up the mud and debris. The car was fine, started first time though I wouldn't have blamed it if it didn't. The brakes were a little gritty and the car was filthy but the lights work as far as I can see. I'll need to double-check them tonight in the dark. The last car I had, an Astra, all the lights shorted when I went through a puddle so it wouldn't have made it at all.
Of course, the workmen said the back roads were opened so I took the car that way but no, met another flood! I decided not to chance it and reversed until I could turn (single track road of course). So I headed back into Montrose and went through the closed road signs and got home that way. I decided after subjecting the car to all that water the least I could do was wash it! So it's nice and sparkly clean.
I'm glad I decided to take the B road home as the Montrose to Arbroath road was shut in at least 2 places. If I'd made it to the centre I could have stayed with mum but from the reports, I doubt I'd have got halfway to Arbroath. Angus suffered flooding a couple of months ago but last night was the worst that I've experienced or remember. On the road to the lighthouse, there's been a landslide from the road down to the beach so folk can still walk. Apart from wading through freezing water, I'll remember the startling difference between a quiet house (whose roof was fine by the way!) and the noise from the weather and the running water. Still, it's an experience I'd care not to repeat.
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