Thursday, February 07, 2008

Wet Dreams

I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains
Of rugged mountain ranges
And a bloody lot of friggin' rains!

For five or six year's now, we've thought of rain as a farmer's wet dream and I guess it is. But apart from the long weekend, I think it's been raining since Christmas. La Ninia is now getting la boring and the dams are filling, the drought has given way to floods and my roof is leaking! Don't ever build a house with valley gutters the downpours here are so ferocious that water leaches under the tiles and seeps through the ceiling.

Today I arrived at work to a soggy boardroom, flooded by a violent storm that only the Hills seemed to suffer last night. Three offices wiped out and the whole day spent listening to the not so dulcit tones of commercial dryers and carpet steam cleaners trying to fix the wet carpets. The place smells like a wet dog and much as I love me dawgs, it aint a pleasant smell to work in for 10 hours!

At home, my ceiling has started to drip and water is still gushing down the outside of the French Doors and seeping in underneath (thank goodness for the towels left after the Farewell, they have been put to good use.)

There are ducks sitting in puddles outside my back door and three scaredy cat labradors in my shower when the thunder breaks. I've had to break out the baby gates to stop next door's labs sneaking into my house. A quick survey of the property and it's a mess. Bark everywhere (did I tell you how much I hate gum trees, they're deciduous all year round the bastards.) It's warm, sticky and wet . . great if you're in the throes of love making, crap if you're wanting to get your washing dry. So is the pedestrian life of a rain-bound Sydneysider. I didn't even get the chance to cross the road for lunch without looking like a competitor in a wet T shirt competition!

This weekend it will be the Chinese laundry in my lounge room, damp knickers and soggy doggy's. I just want it to sto-o-o-o-p! I live in Australia! It's supposed to be sunny and warm and . . .



Nasty little stain on once pure white ceiling! Shit, I can't afford a roof plumber!

Our trickle of a creek is now a bloody river!

Waiting for the rain to stop - could be around for a while!

This is why I hate gum trees . . bark all over the driveway and bits fall off! Constantly!

I know! I'll get no sympathy from the Europeans or the Americans! Nicky save me! At least it's sunny in your neck of the woods!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sympathise Baino! BLOODY RAIN!!!! The sun peek this morning but was teasing us. Our street is a lap pool.

PS: Like your photos though ;)

Anonymous said...

No sympathy from here.

The emerald colour of Ireland is due to the green of mildew. It rained all last summer here - it even rained in south west France in August, and not the warm thunderstorm rain, but the cold frontal rain.

Baino said...

Anon: Ah, I guess at least it's warm. I'm just really shitty about my roof and stained ceiling. I keep telling myself that it's well needed and we won't have to top up the pool for a while!

Ian: Awww, now Rev, that's a bit uncharitable for a man of the cloth! I knew I couldn't count on any sympathy from the Irish . .all bundled up in front of your wintery fires. But you're right, it's still T shirt weather and the sun will return. I just wish it would HURRY UP!

Anonymous said...

Nope! not a lot of sympathy, Baino, though I'm sorry to hear about the leaks.

In Ireland, you'll find plenty of damp knickers in the strangest of places!!!

As Ian, said, we had a rotten summer here last year. In fact the only decent sunshine we saw was in APRIL!!! We had our sun hats on instead of rain hats, for the whole month. It really makes you wonder what's happening in this little world of ours?

Anonymous said...

Try making soup with the leaks! I have a nice recipe for leek and potato! I'll get me coat and me rain hat.....!

Unknown said...

i wish we could piss this rain off to where it is needed the most. I really feel bad when we get this weather and then think about our fellow countrymen doing it tough :/ I can't imagine how they would feel if they saw this on the news, and thinking to themselves how much of it is getting washed out to sea :(

Anonymous said...

Well as it happens, Belfast is lovely and sunny right now, and extremely warm with it. Spring has landed early by mistake. And that's your driveway?? With all the trees and what looks like a PARK right opposite. I'm wildly jealous. And you're complaining about a few bits of bark??

Anonymous said...

I sympathise with you pal, my kitchen ceiling resembles your's.

Baino said...

Steph: Spring, Autumn and Winter are fabulous here generally what we're actually having is a normal Summer although we've had the normal February rainfall in the first week.

GrannyMar: I'm half Welsh, leaks in the blood dear girl!

Nick: Nice one, rub it in! We're a street of five acre blocks and believe me, the only block that looks like a park is the zillionaire across the road - he has a full time gardener! My weekend will be spent picking up debris.

Nonny: The beauty of living here is that within a couple of sunny days, it will have dried and just needs a lick of antifungal paint. When it rains this hard, it's just too much for the gutters and downpipes so it leaches into the lounge ceiling. Either that or a couple of roof tiles have been broken by the hail last month. I'll send DrummerBoy up onto the roof to inspect!

I'm not really complaining, the water tanks will be filling up and the dam looks good but I agree with Ryan, most of this precious stuff goes down the drain, it's a crime!

Anonymous said...

Insert weather based comment here.

Anonymous said...

Oh quit yer bitchin'!
Yesterday it was 66degF here and today it was 40degF. Sunday is suppose to be a high of 17degF.
So Geez! Welcome to Pennsylvania!
Oh, yea, Saturday it's gonna' rain, sleet and snow!!!

Jefferson Davis said...

I lurve the pictures, Baino. :) We've had a bit of a torrential down pour here as well.

Baino said...

d_shizzle: Poor form!

Brianf: Aww c'mon! That's the pot calling the kettle black! You quit bitchin' about the weather and move back to Arizona. And I don't understand your temperatures. 17 is perfectly respectible, almost T shirt weather!

JD: Rain is good . . leaks is bad . . photography decidedly average :)