Woke up this morning to a howling gale and an outside temperature of -13C, the coldest day we've had this year. Even the dogs didn't want to go out and boooged back to bed! Went to fill the kettle to discover ... no water and only enough to make a single cuppa. The only water was in my hot water bottle, the dogs water bowl and the water I'd used the evening before to do the washing up. Any thoughts of having a shower went out of the window and I ended up using baby wipes instead, followed by a liberal spray of perfume! Had only just got dressed when 6 brawny workmen arrived to cut up the pile of logs I'd been given the week before. Took them most of the morning and although they're the right length for my wood burning stove won't fit in because they're far too large in diameter! The woodshed is now jammed packed with logs which will last me for at least a year, if that is I can find someone to chop them into smaller pieces! By the time the workmen had left it was nearly one o'clock and still no water and me rapidly coming to the conclusion one of main outside pipes is frozen. Decided if we weren't all going to die from dehydration over the weekend I better go into town and buy some bottles of water. HRH was outside and put on her harness and stuck her in the car Gwylim I thought was in the house, but couldn't find him anywhere and when he didn't come when called decided he must be outside. Looked in the woodshed in case he was still in there when I closed the door, searched all over the garden, the empty plots either side on me, and walked up the road .... no Gwylim. By this time I was getting panicky as the only place I hadn't looked was the cart track behind my land, so went into the house to collect the key for the back gate, followed by Sashicat. and was just about to walk out again when I heard a tiny "yap"! Followed the sound and saw a little head peeping round the bathroom door ... was I relieved to see him! An hour later than planned we arrived in town and I'd was just about to get out of the car in the Spar car park when I heard a knock on the window. Two policemen wanting to check my car papers. Also made me get out and take a breathalyser! All OK. Went and got 10 litres of water plus a few other bits and set of home only to be flagged down by guess what ..... another b***** police car! I couldn't believe it! Actually the policeman was very nice and only wanted to know where I was going which I told him. Said he wanted to warn me about the exceptionally strong wind and wished me a safe journey home! I think that's quite enough excitement for today thank you! I'm now sitting in a warm cosy living room with a warm fire, having had the pizza I bought (no washing up) enjoying a glass (or two) of a good wine. As for the weekend and whether or not I have water well I'll worry about that tomorrow!
Still no water! The village is on mains water, and when my neighbour called round this morning to take the dogs for a walk, he told me that apart from one house the whole village is without water! He very kindly went and fetched 10 litres from them which will last until tomorrow when I've arranged for the delivery of another 18 litres of bottled water. Middle of Friday night I went down with a dose of gastroenteritis and have been feeling pretty grott ever since. No energy to anything apart from sitting around like a zombie! The dogs are being exceptionally good. Georgina's outside at the moment (she doesn't seem to feel the cold) and my little shadow Gwylim is in the house looking after his poorly Mum!
Call me suspicious! Do you think that the water might have been turned off because it has become contaminated? I hope your GE is better soon.
I don't think so! For the past week we been experiencing the same extremely cold weather as other parts of Europe. Daytime temperatures have been around -`13C and at night anything from -15C to -20C plus the chill factor from gale force winds. Some friends who spent the weekend in Budapest said there were ice floes on the Danube and the temperature yesterday night was -22C. When they arrived home they also found their pipes had frozen so not just me! The last time I had a frozen water pipe was about 7 years ago and left me without running water for about two weeks. Looking at the weather forecast, it seems the worst is over and tomorrow it should be quite a bit warmer ..... if you can call -7C warm!
AFAICR all our pipes were lagged during the summer, and checked and re-lagged if necessary every couple of years. Here, if it gets very cold we are told to leave a hot tap trickling slowly otherwise the solar panels can freeze up and kerplunk.
It's not my water pipe that's the problem Tina. It's the main pipe that brings water into the village that's frozen solid.which is why with the exception of one house, no one in the village has water I'm not sure why the one house has water, but it's possible they pump their water from their well, rather than being connected to the mains like the rest of us. Every house in the village has it's own well and I have one near to the driveway gates which to the best of my knowledge hasn't been used to the past twenty years. Some people still use the well water for their garden and animals. I'd hate to think how many dead bodies and other nasties there are in mine and would never consider drinking it! Yukky! .
Our water sometimes does a nasty - usually when the washing machine is half way through its cycle. Oh well, not like you Barbara because of the cold because even though it does get cold here it is not fffffrrrreeeeeezzzzzzing. Anyhow, water goes off and car after car turns up outside the macolet and people stagger out with either packs of 6 x 1.5 litres bottles of Mei Eden mineral water or, to save a few shekalim, a pack of 6 x 2 litre bottles of Aqua Nova, those bottles not being much thicker than a poly bag. In any case, there is no way I can lift a 2 litre bottle. I should care? For the last 18 or so years I have had a Mei Eden water machine, which gives me either cold or hot water - the hot being just enough under boiling to make perfect coffee or tea, and I get large bottles - no, that is not the word - containers - is that better? - delivered every four weeks. As many as I need. When I lived in the previous place on the Moshav, waaaaay down the road, and I have been in this bungalow over 16 years ago now, and the water went off, various people used to ask if they could please have some water. I am a nice person, I think, but they work, they have cars, and I have a disability pension. So I finally said NO. Drive to the macolet and buy what you want. If I wanted to go to the macolet I did not have a mobility scooter then and I was maybe 2.5 kg from the macolet? Not that they would ever ask if I needed anything. How terrible would that be.
I buy 2 litres bottles water from Asda as its only 17p & I use it for cooking/drinks & for the dogs to drink, as our water is often yellowish in colour & sometimes have these little wriggle fishies in it
Yuck - I do not drink tap water as there is something in the purification wotsit that is an allergen to me. And I cannot stand the smell of chlorine in the main water which is also a purification agent. Also the water machine is much easier for me to use then even trying to boil tap water - again too heavy for me to lift even for a small amount of water in my lecci kettle.. Knowing me I would drop it and do nasties all down my front. I have no idea how much my Mei Eden water machine costs each month, but it is rented and they are responsible for replacements and the supplies. I just have to pay for the number of containers I want.. I have a rack which tucks into a corner which will hold eiher four large or four smaller containers. If I want more, the delivery guys give me what I want. And I have not the slightest idea how much either the monthly rental and delivery costs, not how much the containers cost. I do not care. I have what I need and B"H can afford it, so I am happy and do not have to worry. As far as showering goes if the water has gone Pete Tong, I have large adult wipes like baby wipes but a heck of a lot larger, and they are very useful when I do not have enough hot water for a shower.
We will get leaflet dropped through letterbox [in my case postbox at side of house] telling householders not to drink water for next 48 hours as they been working on pipework & to run taps for 10 mins before washing using dishwasher/washing machine to remove the brownish- yellowish colouring. Baring in mind this is now every week as its been freezing & the main pipes have burst, so the water board comes out patch up the burst pipe only for it to burst again next time it freezers.
We do not have home boxes, the mail boxes being in a mailbox bank across the road next to the macolet. So - you do not go to empty your mailbox you do not know what message you get. Wunnerful, innit!
