Rain

[philmayfield 6,187]

Just driven to Newark and the Kelham Rd. is closed for floods again. The Trent looks fearsome from the Old Great North Rd. and a few caravans are afloat near to the sugar beet factory. Trucks of beet are queuing to offload so the farmers must somehow be getting it off the fields.

[jonab 1,644]

Nonna's mention of Venice reminds me of the first time I visited there. It was to a conference in about 1980. The formal conference dinner was being held in the courtyard of the Doge's palace (the place with all the little curved arches in St Marks Square, next door to the Basilica). Part way through the meal, there was an announcement requesting all delegates to collect their cutlery from the table and move upstairs inside the palace - which we dutifully did. Nobody was aware of the reason at the time. Anyway the dinner proceeded without incident, we were entertained with some renaissance music and plenty of booze still unaware of the reaon for the move indoors. Then it came time to leave. At ground level we were somewhat shocked to find where  we had previously been eating was now several centimetres deep in water - as was the whole of St Marks Square (and I conjecture most of Venice). The staff at the palace didn't seem unduly fazed by the flooding and were calmly laying down duckboards for us to keep our feet dry as we went to board the vaporettos back to the Lido.

 

It seems that flooding is a regular Venice phenomenon but not on the scale of the past few days.

[LizzieM 9,514]

I’m very pleased we were in Venice for my birthday in September rather than my husband’s birthday which was the other day!  The Venetians are used to flooding of course.  A few years ago friends of ours went there in November and had to wear waders every day.  

The high tide coincides with a full moon ....... doesn’t it? 

Without ever considering it when buying our homes we’ve always lived on a hill.  The only low-lying house I’ve ever lived in was in Netherfield (until I was 8 years old) my parents couldn’t wait to move out of there.  

 

[jonab 1,644]

The only low level place I've lived is the flat I had next door to the Grosvenor on Mansfield Road. I was there at the time of the 'big storm' in about 1972 see https://nottstalgia.com/forums/topic/17313-the-grosvenor-pub/?tab=comments#comment-591022

 

 

Otherwise my home has been quite elevated and, at present, I live a good way up a mountain gorge (on the first picture of the link, my villa is just visible towards the top, right.

http://freeriders2.over-blog.com/article-30273517.html ) Note: the link is to a French bikers blog and it's in French but don't let that put you off. It offers a good illustration of life in le BsL.