Monday, June 25, 2007

Noah! I did not plan it!


Rain?

You've never seen anything like it. Well with the exception of my readers who live in the Tropics. You probably have. But for here. For June. It's bad.

It all started in the early hours of the morning. If I hadn't have known that I weren't, I may have thought, before I opened my eyes each time that the rain woke me up, that I might be camping. Our bedroom window was open, and it was that heavy persistent rain that just never stops.......


At 7.15 a.m. the three eldest leave on the bus for school. Sensible's school shoes are broken, so sensibly she finds another pair to put on. These have heels. Quite high ones really. Bus leaving. No choice.

At 8.30 a.m. ESOS phones.

There's a flood at Over. "We are getting off the bus and walking home." "Where are you?" says Hubby. They are around 9 miles from home.

"No don't" says Hubby. "Stay on the bus."

Big discussions follow concerning safety and flooding and drowning and heat loss and everything else on the matter. We believe they are all still on the bus, in a very big traffic jam, but dry.

8.40 a.m. ESOS phones. He has not got back on the bus and is in a friend's car coming home. Friend was in parents' car on way to school and spotted ESOS on other side of the road walking home.

8.41 a.m. More phone calls from the girls. Now very cross because ESOS ignored our advice, and they had run back to the bus. "I thought you hadn't got off the bus" says Hubby.

But they had. They had phoned us when they were on their way home.

They had then run back to the bus to re catch it. A mile apparently. Although the traffic was moving at around 2 miles per hour. So perhaps not quite...

Sensible is in high heels though, so it possibly seems a bit longer. Quite a lot longer.

Next hour. Hubby has gone to work first having asked me to keep him informed. I point out that he won't be here to receive cross teenagers on return home this afternoon. He looks sympathetic in that sort of helpless way and then goes.

Many more phone calls. Much hanging up from girls. All very cross. All our fault. Well mine probably.

Make note to self to put in word with "He on high" to not provide Noah's Ark style floods on school days please, due to inconvenience to children. And me.

Am trying to establish whether or not I can pick them up, but as the traffic jam is now several miles back and there are no alternative routes, the answer is "no". Try to point out the safety aspects to ED and Sensible. They remain cross.

9.30 a.m. ESOS arrives home. Settles in for a day of leisure. "Please could you do the dishwasher" I ask? (As I have important things to do like .........blogging

.......and, actually I do have some work to do which the rain won't wait for.)

"Oh Mum! Do I have to do all of it." "Yes" say I. "All of it! All five minutes of unloading and reloading!"

"All right, all right. There's no need to go on. I was only asking," says he who goes off on a school trip to Correze on Wednesday. It's not even a language trip. It seems to be a holiday. What a hard life these teenagers have.

Point out to ESOS that people die in floods and that it wasn't the best idea to get off the bus and try to walk 9 miles in the rain. "I'm a responsible person comes the reply."

Really?

More phone calls from ED and Sensible. Am seriously in the doghouse due to having allowed ESOS home. Try to point out that this was beyond my control. Closed ears. Firmly closed.

11 a.m. ED calls. Is in school. Not happy - but at least I know where she is. She is still very cross because I have allowed ESOS to come home.

??

11.10 a.m. Call Sensible's school.

She has arrived at 11 a.m. too. Ask if they will be allowed to return home early if flooding continues. School doesn't know, but promises to assess situation.

Meanwhile I await the inevitable argument between siblings this evening and the rant against me.

It's tricky sometimes being a mother.

Especially on those days when the rules change...........

p.s. If you see ESOS ED and Sensible, please tell them that I am trying my best.

Always!

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are far too understanding Sally. My parents prepared for such an eventuality by making sure all of us learnt to swim. Problem solved! :)

Akelamalu said...

What a terrible mother you are, where's the helicopter????? ((wink))

sallywrites said...

Ig - Should have thought about that!
Ak - Will get it out next time!

Beccy said...

The disadvantages of living in the countryside and one I must remember the next time Joules tries to persuade me to move out to the sticks!

meredic said...

You see! It rains in Wales every day and no one makes a great deal of fuss. A couple of drops over the border though and suddenly theres a blog post in it.
I look forward to the follow up.

sallywrites said...

Beccy - In fairness to Joules,
there are advantages too.....
Meredic - All that rain. Does it make your skin rusty?

Unknown said...

Sally, the sun's out here(leics), and Dad's just cut the back lawn. The worst has completely missed us.

Flowerpot said...

I wish I was in leics then. Here in Cornwall it's deluging!

Beccy said...

I know that Sally...which is why I have to work on my list of disadvantages!

I keep reminding him that it will be me running the children here, there and everywhere as public transport isn't to good in the countryside whereas here we live besides trains and buses.

Unknown said...

The rain's caught up with us!

Anonymous said...

Sally- We had a similar couple of storms a month or so ago. I nearly flooded out my car engine trying to leave work (trust me, I wouldn't have done that if I were going the other way!):)
Now everyone in your family knows your secret favorite child (ha!)

Mary Alice said...

I'll tell them you are just trying to do your best if I happen to bump into them...however...having teens of my own I will say that no matter who tells them, they probably won't believe it.....until they have children of their own!

pierre l said...

Oh dear, poor old Sally. I hope everyone got home safely in the end. But it is good that you know that the blog has a higher priority than the dishwasher.
Unfortunately, Beccy, I think you'll find that towns get flooded as well as the countryside.

headless chicken said...

Oh dear Sally...all this hassle with your own kids and you still have one of mine to play after school!!
Btw, I think Artist wants you to adopt her!:)

sallywrites said...

John - I was going to say lucky you - until your later comment!
Flowerpot - we here in Gloucestershire sympathise!
Beccy - The transporting around is a big consideration.
Lisa - Definitely no favourites. I'm confused by what I could have said to make you think that??
Mary Alice - You are right!
Pierre - Welcome back. I've missed you. Dishwashers are a very low priority really aren't they?
HC - Really??!!!! It's always a pleasure to entertain your children.

pierre l said...

Sorry to have neglected you Sally. I have been neglecting Ig dreadfully as well - must put that right tomorrow.
Of course, I have been reading you - I wouldn't miss any of your postings, or Ig's; I just haven't been leaving comments.

Anonymous said...

rain, what's that? (sorry)

la bellina mammina said...

It was raining too the whole night here - at least I had a good night sleep!! :-) Hope everyone's alright.

Alice Band said...

Odd. I left a message last night but it hasn't materialised. Just to say that I can only concur with Flowerpot and have ordered my cubitts to build my ark.

sallywrites said...

Pierre - Glad you've commented now.
Enidd - Smug?!
La BM - Yes we are fine now thank you!
Alice - Did the word checker thing not work maybe? Don't know why it didn't work. I love comments! Glos is fine this morning. Phew!

sallywrites said...

Pierre - Should have read - I'm just glad you've commneted now. That sounded severe the way I worded it. Apols! :)
And Enidd - Just how warm is it? Do you fancy a swap?

pierre l said...

Sally, not at all. It's nice to be missed!

ChrisB said...

Sally I had been wondering how/if the flooding had affected you. I remember as a child (in Berkeley) there were times when every route out was blocked by flooding- great if you're a child and can't get to school mind our school coach could usually get through so it didn't happen that often!

Anonymous said...

Sally- Nothing you said, I was joking! (Just imagining what I would have heard from one if I 'let' the other stay home like that! :)

sallywrites said...

Hi Chris - Yes, it's all clear today, but it was really quite bad yesterday!
Lisa - Absolutely right. You should have heard them all last night!

Anonymous said...

not unhappy because you esos to stay home...

unhappy because you made us run back to get on the bus after we had been offered a lift...
and ESOS didn't do what you asked (whereas we did)
BUT
somehow I was still in trouble.

I completely understand that you were worried about our safety, but you could have listened to the fact that we were 10 mins walk away from the bus by this time and that we had arranged our own transport.

:( don't make me look horrible on your blog :(

Pamela said...

that would get my acid reflux boiling.

worrying.

Anonymous said...

not that hot actually - twenties during the day, but quite chilly at night. but no rain, at all.

swap? well, give enidd a few months first...

sallywrites said...

Pam - Yes well....
Enidd - Ok!