"Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink"

[azekeil]

..so says the Gloucestershire Echo. Well I suppose it is a famous quote, and you can't blame them for using it ;)

7/7 bombings? Cup of tea. Terrorist alert? Cup of tea. Floods? Cup of.. WHAT THE?! NO WATER OR ELECTRICITY!??! PANIC! RUN FOR THE HILLS!!

The urge seems to be rising amongst people around here to do just that, and I don't blame them. Not that we personally seem to have run out of either water or electricity just yet.

Another day off work due to illness. If this continues tomorrow I will be making a doctor's appointment. I wonder how many businesses in this area (and other affected areas) have a disaster plan that copes with up to 14 days of no running water? This could be interesting.

Comments

[gerald_duck]

Actually, I'm getting quite annoyed. It's "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink", from Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

One of the national newspapers has made the same mistake.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I guess it has become another victim of the continued dumbing down of the language for the masses.

[specialunclet.livejournal.com]

strictly speaking its 'every where' and not 'everywhere'

[gerald_duck]

Ooh — point. Project Gutenberg agrees with you, though I suspect modern editions may have changed it (in the same way that "to-day" becomes "today" in modern printings of the Sherlock Holmes stories).

[specialunclet.livejournal.com]

i must admit i did hove to look it up

and discount shitepedia because it didnt agree

[jinx-lbc.livejournal.com]

Got to work at 2pm, not working on my own floor due to lack of staff. We started the day with 6 baths full of water, ended with about 3... confused residents pulling the plugs out trying to be helpful.

I'm going to charge my ipod... and then go get myself a thermos, and possibly build a shelter for a small campfire in the garden so I can stick a kettle over it.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I think I shall join you in that one. A mighty fine plan. :)

[malcygoff.livejournal.com]

we isolated our water supply at work and the header tanks hold 20,000L. This is going to last us until mid-afternoon tomorrow. So I've still got to go to work :(

How is it affecting you guys at home? I saw that Gloucester has around 15-200 bowsers dotted around, but I was calling around a few places in Cheltenham and the word was that your water supply is cranked too?

I just hope that they can keep the power up or else it's game over for the forseeable week or two :/

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

It went off at 7:30pm this evening. This is going to be.. interesting.

[racinghippo.livejournal.com]

Ahh, but isn't it the case that tea became so popular around the industrial revolution because it could be drunk without contracting something horrible? The whole point was that you needed to boil the water, thereby killing all the nasties.

I say put the kettle on!

OK, so you might need to go one step further and distill the water... :s

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Well we still have power, which is a good sign. I'll still be able to put the kettle on :)

Whatever happens, we shall have Tea.

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

No leccy? Start small fire in garden. (Kettle barbecue can work well.) Filter floodwater through close-textured cloth to remove mud, twigs etc, then boil to kill nasties. Tea up.

Re: Whatever happens, we shall have Tea.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I'll be right back after I've found myself a cow to milk.

Re: Whatever happens, we shall have Tea.

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

It does help if you like your tea black :)