# A wet day and flooding

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Posted by James on August 20, 2020 at 10:01:03

Yesterday was one of the wettest days so far this summer. My uncle Benny, who I work for, was due to visit a potential customer who had some old jewellery and precious stones to sell. The man is in his eighties and confined to a wheelchair so Benny had arranged to visit with his grandson, who has been a business acquaintance for a number of years. Benny asked if I’d like to go with him as the old gentleman had an interesting house that he knew I’d be interested to see.

The grandson, Alfred, said he would pick us up and drive over to the house about thirty miles away. It was pouring with rain when he pulled up outside in his Land Rover, an elderly Defender that looked well used. We set off as nthe rain lashed down and the wipers struggled to cope. After half an hour or so, in the middle of nowhere, we turned a corner in the country lane we were driving down and saw the road was flooded for as far ahead as was visible. Alfred slowed and then started to drive through the water.

“We’ll be OK – this thing has raised air intakes and exhaust and is built for this – done this many times.” Alfred grinned as he revved the engine and engaged a lower gear before driving ahead.

The water got deeper and deeper and started seeping in around the edges of the doors, not much but enough to form puddles in the footwells.

“It’s getting wet around my feet back here.” I said.

“That’s OK, it usually does in deep water.” Alfred laughed “You don’t mind getting a bit wet, do you, James?”

“He loves it, any chance he gets.” Benny laughed before I could say anything.

The water was getting deeper and deeper and had formed a sort of bow-wave ahead of the bonnet and the water was ankle deep inside by now. All of a sudden the water inside got a lot deeper and was lapping the top of the seats, my jeans were soaked and Benny and Alfred were getting equally wet. The further along the road we went the more the water level inside got higher. Alfred and Benny were both grinning and laughing as the water lapped over their thighs. We turned a corner and the road suddenly started going up hill a bit and eventually we were out of the flood and back on just wet tarmac. Alfred pulled to a halt and opened his door as he asked us to do the same. The water inside poured out of the car quite quickly leaving everything wet, us included.

“Sorry about that. Everyone OK with getting a bit damp?” Alfred asked as we sat there.

“Damp? I’m soaked to the skin …….” Benny laughed as he rubbed his palms over his thighs.

“I think it might be worse further ahead.” Alfred said “I know this road and it goes downhill again into a bit of a valley where the road runs alongside a small stream; given that that last bit was flooded so much it will definitely be flooded there. Be prepared to get wet again if it is.”

We drove on and sure enough Alfred was absolutely right. He stopped at the start of the flood and thought about what we could see before speaking.

“Anyone want to volunteer to walk ahead and show me where the road goes, the stream runs along the right-hand side of the road, so if I stick as close to the left as possible we can avoid falling in that, but the left-hand hedgerow disappears to just a low verge somewhere, following someone walking along would be a great guide.”

“How about it James? You’re already wet through.” Benny asked me.

“So are you!” I retorted “But yes, why not, sounds like a good plan.”

It was still pouring with rain so almost as soon as I got out I could feel my shirt getting soaked across my shoulders, by the time I had walked ahead and was knee-deep in the flood water, the rain was running down my face from my soaked hair.

The flood-water got deeper and deeper and when I got to the end of the hedgerow I was wading through crotch-deep water and was thoroughly soaked. I carried on and the water got deeper and deeper until I was struggling forward, chest-deep. I turned around to see how far Alfred had driven and saw that he was slowly proceeding with the water bumper-deep. I carried on until I felt the road start to go up a bit. I looked back and guessed that the flood waters had started some two hundred yards back. I went to turn back to carry on and stupidly tripped over my own feet and the submerged verge and fell flat on my face, getting completely submerged before struggling to my feet. I really was soaked to the skin now. I trudged on in the pouring rain until I exited the flood water and stood like a drowned rat waiting for the Land-Rover to catch up with me, before jumping in. As I opened the door more water gushed out over my feet, Benny and Alfred opened their doors to let more water out. They were both drenched up to their chests.

“Thanks for that; very helpful, James. If it’s any consolation you’d have got just as wet staying in the car …….”

“Except that I fell over and went for a proper swim for a second or two…” I laughed.

“We’ll be able to dry off a bit when we get to granddad’s place.” Alfred said.

“Do we have to come back the same way?” Benny asked.

“We do unless you want an extra two hour’s drive to get home. And we are already wet …..” Alfred grinned.

“Fine by me. What about you, James?” Benny asked.

“I can’t get any wetter ….. so yeah, no point in spending an extra two hours sitting in the car in wet clothes.” I grinned.

Alfred had been right about his granddad’s house – a grand Georgian style place approached by a long drive surrounded by farmland. The entrance hall was double height with a sweeping staircase and decorated in the most extravagant, elaborate style. The ceiling was painted with sun-lit clouds and blue skies and the walls were painted a deep metallic green colour that shimmered. The other rooms were just the same, all decorated in bright colours and loads of pictures hung on the walls. Alfred led us through to a large kitchen where he was greeted by a young woman.

“Hello, Marion, how is granddad?” he asked as she turned.

“A good day today. He’s in the conservatory. But you look soaked …..”

“The road was flooded; would you tell granddad I’m here and I’ll just take Benny and James up to the bathroom to get some towels and dry off a bit. We’ll be OK just damp, we’ll be getting wet again in the floods on the way home no doubt.”

Well, we did the business we had planned with the old gentleman and did indeed get soaked again on the way home. It hadn’t stopped raining at all and if anything the flood water was deeper than in had been a few hours earlier. As soon as we got home I jumped straight under the shower to warm up a bit and then joined Benny and Jonno for a late lunch and a good look at all the stuff we had bought that morning as we chatted about how we could use it in Benny’s new designs.

Follow Ups:

- Re: A wet day and flooding Ry 00:09:45 8/21/2020 (1)
  - Re: A wet day and flooding James 05:18:28 8/21/2020 (0)
- Re: A wet day and flooding Jeff 16:03:39 8/20/2020 (1)
  - Re: A wet day and flooding James 17:09:06 8/20/2020 (0)

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