When the economic crisis was really starting to kick in and the government had decided it really was high time people started paying for things again, there was a report on the news about water supplies…
A dear old dear from somewhere ‘up north’ in the mountains of mainland Greece was being interviewed about the situation. She was outraged because, after all this time, she was being asked to finally settle her water bill. ‘Why should I pay for water?’ she said, ‘it comes from God.’
Well, I was feeling a bit that way yesterday too as the rains came in. It was like autumn had suddenly struck. The warm weather evaporated, the thunder rolled in, there were a couple of big bangs, and the house was warmer inside than the air was outside. I even went back to long trousers and a fleece. You can see from today’s photos that things can change very quickly around here, weather-wise.
Only the day before, Lyndon had come around to check out a piece of plumbing for us and is, as I write (Tuesday) out there looking for the correct join. This is for the rain water collecting system that Andreas, the landlord, has ingeniously put in place. When it rains, like it is doing right now, the water runs off two flat roofs and drains into a pipe. This leads down and out and around, and joins another pipe, and then drops down and in to the ‘workhouse’ where it travels along until it meets a large tap. When this is off the water just stays there and, I assume, finds another way off the roof. But when the tap is open, the floodgates are opened, and the water pours into the sterna beneath the office, as it is doing now.
And it is doing so now because, while waiting for the correct join in the pipe, I made up my own. We had a T joint lying around but with the down section wide open, so the water poured straight through. A pair of socks and some tin foil soon sorted that out, and in the rain, I went out and stuck the thing back together. So far the socks are holding and the water is being redirected into the tank. Nice and free and exactly what Mrs Up North would approve of. So, ta for that God, if I’d known I wouldn’t have taken four hours of town hall ‘to be paid for’ water yesterday, but it’s never very expensive so I don’t mind.
The weather today (Tuesday) may put paid to our plans to go to Yialos to see accountants and do business things, and it might even prevent us from attending the opening night of Taverna Zoi, unless it clears up enough for the taverna to finish making ready and for us to safely venture outside. But hey, at least we’re filling bottles for future plant watering and the new plant (thank you Jenni!) is getting nicely watered. I’m glad I am not traveling today, it’s not windy, just very, very wet.
Now, I must remember to turn the water input device tap to the off position or else the sterna will overflow somewhere, and I don’t like to think where that somewhere may be. Mind you, I seriously doubt that the sock and tin foil arrangement will hold the pressure of the water with the tap off. We shall bite nails while we wait and see. Well, there’s not a lot else to do around here when it’s raining.
