Tonbridge High Street in yet another deluge
I went out for a walk but being sensible, I took the car down just in case. Buses are few and far between on a Sunday and I just had that feeling....
There were several things I needed; toilet rolls (why are people stock piling these?), shower gel (and that for heaven's sake) and, if I could find any, rice.
I suspect the distribution centres are having problems with the flooding everywhere and as a consequence many supplies were just not getting through.
However, this covid-19 virus is creating a sense of doom and panic among people and they are shopping in a similar manner to Christmas. The shopping trolleys are full to over-flowing and people like me who are going around viewing it as business as usual, but taking extra care with hygiene (washing hands etc), are finding it increasingly difficult to do this.
I'm not sure what these people think; its like a bad flu, and as yet we've not a way of controlling it in the vulnerable sections of the population. Yes, some people will die but no more than the flu does, or killed on our roads.
Whatever, let's get back to the winter.
Tonbridge town lock system pretty much hidden by excessive water levels
The second reason I came down into town was I just wanted to be nosy. I wanted to have a look at the town lock area as well as the Racecourse sports fields and the area around the swimming pool and Model Railway Club house.
Being surrounded by tributaries of the Medway, the playing fields are one of the first victims to flooding should the water levels rise to any great extent. Originally a flood plain catchment area and probably water meadows once upon a time, this part of town frequently floods and rugby becomes more a battle of who can stay upright in the mud. What makes it a delight is watching those who have been playing, come onto the High Street, still covered from head to toe in mud and wearing their studs (because they too are an extension of the mud boots), and go into Greggs for hot chocolate and a sausage roll.
Funnily enough no-one bats an eye-lid at it.......mind you, no-one really batted an eye-lid to the hedgerow dweller who wore no clothes, never washed and had hair in messy dreadlocks down his back.
Now if you're going to be troubled by anything and that doesn't get you, then nothing will!
I must admit, though, the town lock hasn't been that full in the last 15 years I've been living here and is proving to be woefully short if it going to remain effective against the flooding we are experiencing now.
Whilst photographing at the lock, the tell tale spits and spots began to fall and rapidly translated into a deluge of water falling from the sky.
I was glad of my 100% waterproof coat, but it didn't stop my trouser legs from becoming soaked and consequently, my shoes starting to fill with the water trickling down.
I beat a purposeful retreat and sheltered in the entrance to the old Woolworth's building, still empty after all this time. Within minutes, the High Street itself began to flood, the drains just unable to keep up with the amount falling out of the sky. All I could do was wait and hope it would back off shortly and when it did I began the walk round to where the car was parked.
lock gate itself almost submerged.
The gate is slightly open so as to allow the water through
One observation made on the way many of us smile however.
A very posh car, some oversized, four wheel drive, black, shiny and immaculately clean was parked in the loading bay area on the High Street itself. The alarms had gone off and those who were scuttling from the rain to areas of shelter looked and laughed, then commented with a rye smile," wonder if the driver knows all the windows are wide open?"
We stood and watched as the car, now experiencing the next deluge, was accepting water on the inside. If nothing else it lifted the mood of people.....at least there was one unlucky punter in a worse situation than us!
So, is this heralding the winter's to come? Are we moving into a more biannual rhythm where we get all the rain in the winter and then drought in the summer? Only time will tell but one thing is for certain, the weather patterns in the country are changing and I suspect we are seeing the start of a new cycle.
