Elfstone
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File: Lost.hold (4 KB)
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Some of you will know that this part of my country (Scotland) has been hammered by terrible weather for this last week and on Thursday morning the North woke up to major problems with flooding after a night of freakish rain. (Well, we're all hoping that it was freak and doesn't happen again! - global warming anyone?!?) Roads closed all over the place and every school in the county closed. I walked down my own private road at around 10.00 to find that the wee burn had become a raging torrent and the bridge which connects my road to the public road was awash. The water at that point was gushing over the top of the parapet - that's about 9 feet higher than normal - and the road itself was 15-18 inches deep in water.

I'll not trouble you with all the details of what's gone on since; suffice to say that the bridge was so badly damaged it will have to be demolished and it is the only access other than climbing a high wooden fence and trudging a quarter of a mile on foot over the field, down to the farm track, along to the farm and onto the public road from there. The public road south between me and the farm - about half a mile - is severely damaged and there are trees down on the road north from me, so for Thursday, Friday and most of yesterday I was cut off. Men for the council have now cleared the trees, so once the bridge is rebuilt I will be able to drive in and out to the north - the long way round to anywhere, but better than being stranded!

This afternoon the farmer managed to drive my car across the field (!!!) and park it at the farm house so at least I am sort of mobile again and can get to work, but the prospect of walking fields and climbing fences in the dark is not a very happy one. With the hour changing last night (we're back to GMT) I will be coming home in the dark from now on. So tomorrow morning I get out my big torch and I arrive at work in wellie boot and trousers - not what people are used to seeing!!

The farmer thinks we can get the bridge rebuilt relatively quickly, but heaven only knows when the public road will be repaired by the council - they are completely snowed under by the scale of this with so many roads broken up by the floods.

At least my house, which is on a slope, wasn't flooded and the garden, which was, will recover; nature is very resilient.

Some pictures you can access to give you some idea:

these were taken at 11.30am on Thurs., by which time the water level had dropped around 6-8 inches; at 10.00am the water was gushing over the top of the parapet on the left.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0303.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0309.jpg

This was taken at 3.30pm, and by then a huge hole had appeared in the tar, with water churning through it.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0326.jpg

By Fri. morning my bridge looked like this

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0369.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0384.jpg

and this is a view of part of the public road to the south, between me and the farm

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0374.jpg

I have to say that I am finding DROD to be a wonderful diversion; it takes my mind off the worry of repairs and, more significantly, repair bills!

Elfstone.

(Edited by SCA Elf 8.12.08 )

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[Last edited by Elfstone at 12-08-2008 07:29 PM]

tokyokid
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Wow, I feel really bad for you... did your power go out at all? I think it must me global warming!

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[Last edited by tokyokid at 10-29-2006 05:40 PM]

Chaco
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Oof! And here I was thinking I had it bad here with the gale-force winds and siding torn off my house! My sympathies, Elfstone. That looks absolutely awful.

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Ezlo
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Yikes! That's worse than the rainstorm we got just about one year ago! It rained for about three weeks but it didn't do as much damage as that!

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Tim
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Glad to see you're okay.

agaricus5
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Tim wrote:
Glad to see you're okay.

I agree. Hopefully you'll dry out soon, and get a nice, long dry spell like we have been having down in the South-East (although perhaps that isn't too likely in rainy Scotland).

Elfstone wrote:
This was taken at 3.30pm, and by then a huge hole had appeared in the tar, with water churning through it.

It must also be noted that the photos are important demonstrations of how The Flow should behave. Complete destruction of Tar should be the intended behaviour, for example.

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Fafnir
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Ouch - my condolences. Was anyone you know hurt?

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eytanz
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Sorry to hear about your weather troubles - I too am glad to hear you are fine, and I hope the road will be repaired quickly...

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Elfstone
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tokyokid: “Wow, I feel really bad for you... did your power go out at all?” The lights flickered a lot and I had candles ready, but fortunately it didn't go off. Several places round about were without power for quite a while and the TV transmitter was off for upwards of 6 hours.

Chaco: “My sympathies, Elfstone. That looks absolutely awful.” Thanks Chaco. I have to say that on Thurs. morning I was struck dumb when I first saw the flood. For fully five minutes I stood incapable of speaking to the people who had walked up through the field from the nerarest houses to see how things were at my bridge. Even then I think I was babbling incoherently to them for a while!

Ezlo: “It rained for about three weeks but it didn't do as much damage as that!” yes it is impressive from an objective point of view, but every time I look at the photos (or the real thing) I see pound signs floating in front of my eyes.

Tim “Glad to see you're okay.” Thanks Tim!

Fafnir “Ouch - my condolences. Was anyone you know hurt?” my thanks and no one was killed, although there were several car crashes as a result of the flooding on the main roads. Someone also discovered four 40-50 year old shells which had been exposed by the erosion at the flooding caused at the local river and the army bomb disposal team were called out. I could hear the controlled explosions quite clearly here.

eytanz - “I too am glad to hear you are fine, and I hope the road will be repaired quickly...” I'm grateful eytanz, but I fear that the repairs will take some time. The bridge will be rebuilt relatively quickly, but the public road is in such a state that it will have to be lifted and built from scratch and that's not going to be quick.

Elf.

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Elfstone
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File: Symbolese.jpg (63.8 KB)
Downloaded 49 times.
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agaricus5 wrote: Hopefully you'll dry out soon, and get a nice, long dry spell like we have been having down in the South-East (although perhaps that isn't too likely in rainy Scotland).

Many thanks! Actually the weather is much better today, if rather cold, (definitely not freezing though - as the 3 Wise Men will tell you) but I think the repairs are going to take some time and be very expensive. It will also be unpleasantly inconvenient for quite some time. I wonder what gave you the impression that its rainy up here!?!?!? Actually most of Scotland isn't unusually wet - just the Lochaber district around Fort William. It's odd isn't it that, in such a small land mass, you people down in the London/Oxbridge area are crying out for water, and we have an embarrassment of riches in that department up here.

It must also be noted that the photos are important demonstrations of how The Flow should behave. Complete destruction of Tar should be the intended behaviour, for example.

Hey! I've been looking at almost complete destruction of tar today, and it's not much fun!!! I can honestly say that in all the conversations I've had about the tar and the state of the road, with many, many people over the last 4 days, DROD never once came into my head! It's good to see things in a different light - it helps to get one through the tough times.

Elfstone.

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[Last edited by Elfstone at 12-29-2008 10:06 AM]

Briareos
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Geeez... sorry to hear about your weather conditions.

Around here, it was waaay to hot for this time of the year - I'd have gladly given you some of that if it were possible...

I wonder when it's finally starting to be bathing season all year around here...

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Bunches
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File: bigflood.jpg (77.1 KB)
Downloaded 68 times.
License: Public Domain

This was the flooding in my town about 1 year ago. It rained for about 10 days. We're about 1/2 of a mile from there.

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[Last edited by Bunches at 10-29-2006 10:23 PM]

Ezlo
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Bunches, first of all it rained for 20 days, second that was about two days after the flood, when the water came down. But that effected us much less than this one effected Elfstone.

And I'm sorry I didn't mention it yet, glad to hear you're okay!

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[Last edited by Ezlo at 10-29-2006 10:35 PM]

mrimer
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Thanks, Elfstone, for sharing news and photos of this. It sounds terrible.

Elfstone wrote:
This was taken at 3.30pm, and by then a huge hole had appeared in the tar, with water churning through it.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0326.jpg
...
I have to say that I am finding DROD to be a wonderful diversion; it takes my mind off the worry of repairs and, more significantly, repair bills!

This is terrible too. Things can be really awful when the mud and tar mix like that.

(Couldn't resist.)

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[Last edited by mrimer at 10-29-2006 11:19 PM]

agaricus5
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mrimer wrote:

Elfstone wrote:
This was taken at 3.30pm, and by then a huge hole had appeared in the tar, with water churning through it.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0326.jpg
...
I have to say that I am finding DROD to be a wonderful diversion; it takes my mind off the worry of repairs and, more significantly, repair bills!

This is terrible too. Things can be really awful when the mud and tar mix like that.

(Couldn't resist.)

And not to turn this into too much of a joke (I apologise), but I agree, Mike. There will be squabbles when the Empire finds out about this.

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NiroZ
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Wow, my condolences Elfstone.
Where I live, flooding is not an uncommon occurrence, but the worse its done is get people out of school for a couple of days, unlike what has happened to you.

Jason
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Hope it get's fixed soon! That really looks terrible! I'm glad everyone was safe.

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Neather2
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Elfstone wrote:
Some of you will know that this part of my country (Scotland) has been hammered by terrible weather for this last week and on Thursday morning the North woke up to major problems with flooding after a night of freakish rain. (Well, we're all hoping that it was freak and doesn't happen again! - global warming anyone?!?) Roads closed all over the place and every school in the county closed. I walked down my own private road at around 10.00 to find that the wee burn had become a raging torrent and the bridge which connects my road to the public road was awash. The water at that point was gushing over the top of the parapet - that's about 9 feet higher than normal - and the road itself was 15-18 inches deep in water.

I'll not trouble you with all the details of what's gone on since; suffice to say that the bridge was so badly damaged it will have to be demolished and it is the only access other than climbing a high wooden fence and trudging a quarter of a mile on foot over the field, down to the farm track, along to the farm and onto the public road from there. The public road south between me and the farm - about half a mile - is severely damaged and there are trees down on the road north from me, so for Thursday, Friday and most of yesterday I was cut off. Men for the council have now cleared the trees, so once the bridge is rebuilt I will be able to drive in and out to the north - the long way round to anywhere, but better than being stranded!

This afternoon the farmer managed to drive my car across the field (!!!) and park it at the farm house so at least I am sort of mobile again and can get to work, but the prospect of walking fields and climbing fences in the dark is not a very happy one. With the hour changing last night (we're back to GMT) I will be coming home in the dark from now on. So tomorrow morning I get out my big torch and I arrive at work in wellie boot and trousers - not what people are used to seeing!!

The farmer thinks we can get the bridge rebuilt relatively quickly, but heaven only knows when the public road will be repaired by the council - they are completely snowed under by the scale of this with so many roads broken up by the floods.

At least my house, which is on a slope, wasn't flooded and the garden, which was, will recover; nature is very resilient.

Some pictures you can access to give you some idea:

these were taken at 11.30am on Thurs., by which time the water level had dropped around 6-8 inches; at 10.00am the water was gushing over the top of the parapet on the left.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0303.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0309.jpg

This was taken at 3.30pm, and by then a huge hole had appeared in the tar, with water churning through it.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0326.jpg

By Fri. morning my bridge looked like this

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0369.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0384.jpg

and this is a view of part of the public road to the south, between me and the farm

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/Rhovannion/DSCF0374.jpg

I have to say that I am finding DROD to be a wonderful diversion; it takes my mind off the worry of repairs and, more significantly, repair bills!

Elfstone.

Wow, that's are Bad.

I'm said for you.

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Elfstone
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Many thanks to all of you guys for your concern and good wishes - it's much appreciated.

Last night I had my first experience of the journey home. I left work at around 7.30pm, so it was completely dark and I have to say that trudging up hill, through a huge sodden field, by torch-light, in the rain, against a cold North wind was not my idea of something that I would recommend to friends as a pleasant pastime.


grim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elfstone

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Elfstone
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Apologies for ressurecting a seemingly long dead thread, but I thought that I would mention that yesterday, at long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long . . . LONG last, the repair work was started on the damaged road!!!!

I believe it is due to be completed by November, at which time I should, also at long last, be able to get Broadband!



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Briareos
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Elfstone wrote:

Click here to view the secret text

×Dare I mention that I expect to have lots of pristine new tar spreading around the place soon?

Yay - what better way of putting your experience as a delver to work is there? Can't think of one...

np: Kettel - Through Friendly Waters (Re: Through Friendly Waters)

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Jatopian
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Or maybe a second job as a tar technician (or whatever title she prefers) might help with the financial losses.

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Hikari
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You know, this does raise the question...

Does a claymore count as a Really Big Sword?


Also, it raises the question of whether Elfstone owns and knows how to wield a claymore, but I think the nature of a claymore as appropriate for killing tar is more interesting right now. Unless we have the chance of suddenly finding ourselves in the possession of pictures of a kindly Scottish lady wielding a sword against the invading roadway tar, in which case that second question becomes incredibly interesting.

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Banjooie
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Pics or it didn't happen? Is that what we say here?

calamarain
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There's a scary number of swords and replica swords one can get off ebay. Any forum member can be a delver with only a small initial outlay

Bonus points for anyone who dresses up like 39th Slayer ;-)

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Briareos
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calamarain wrote:
Bonus points for anyone who dresses up like 39th Slayer ;-)

39th Slayer and Really Big Sword doesn't go together well I'd say...

np: Kettel - Escape From ETA TH2 (My Dogan)

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Hikari
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calamarain wrote:
There's a scary number of swords and replica swords one can get off ebay. Any forum member can be a delver with only a small initial outlay

Bonus points for anyone who dresses up like 39th Slayer ;-)

But... but... I'm not talking about just *any* delver... I'm talking about Elfstone! And she lives in Scotland so it's even possibly culturally *appropriate* for her to have a claymore!

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Elfstone
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File: formal wear.jpg (31.4 KB)
Downloaded 137 times.
License: Public Domain

Hikari wrote:
You know, this does raise the question...

Does a claymore count as a Really Big Sword?

Does it!!!!!? A claymore was a VERY "Really Big Sword"! They were huge, two-handed, double-edged-blade things. Years ago, in Stirling, I saw the Claymore reputedly used by William Wallace - certainly a very ancient weapon. It was 6 feet long and must have weighed a considerable amount. The men who wielded claymores must have had fore-arm muscles made of reinforced concrete!

Unless we have the chance of suddenly finding ourselves in the possession of pictures of a kindly Scottish lady wielding a sword against the invading roadway tar, in which case that second question becomes incredibly interesting.

Well, as you asked so nicely . . . a pic of me in my best outfit (I only use the sword now on formal occasions)





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[Last edited by Elfstone at 08-17-2007 10:01 PM]

Tahnan
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Elfstone wrote:
Well, as you asked so nicely . . . a pic of me in my best outfit (I only use the sword now on formal occasions)

Hah! I've been saying you're actually a young man, and now we know!

calamarain
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Woo, I already have a kilt! So if I just get a Really Big Sword, do I become a delver?

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