N.B: Posted elsewhere, but not X-posted.
At around 20:45 last night I sounded my horn at the police van blocking
the road, and then got out of my car. Officer Dibble approached me.
"Would you mind moving your van just a foot or so please, so I can get
past you?", I asked him, while at the same time he said, in tones of
amazement, "Where the hell did you come from?"
I grinned in the darkness, and pointed backwards. "Thataway", I said.
"But the road's impassable!", said he.
"Yes, I know", said I.
".......??!", said he, scratching his head, and then "I'll move the
cones for you"
That's when he looked further down the road, and saw a stranded Peugeot
205.
"Oh, he's with me", I said, "but the car may well have drowned by now.
It's a bit damp back there."
"That", said Officer Dibble sternly, referring to the spectacular flood
somewhere back thereaways, "is why the road is CLOSED".
"I thought it might be", said I, "it was lovely and quiet..."
Quite why HWSO decided to follow me along a road we already knew was
flooded I have no idea. I was in the Imp, and had no problems at all
with the rather deep water that covered the bits that have been
'repaired' recently, so I took a calculated risk. With a rear engine,
the bow wave from the car pushes the water away from the bits that
matter. The Peugeot, however, having its engine at the front like most
cars, was having problems. Officer Dibble was completely bewildered by
cars approaching him from the 'wrong' side, i.e. the side that was
closed due to the worst flooding we've had for a while. I can't help but
laugh though. With the road 'closed' (I joined it part of the way along;
the Dibbles must have forgotten there was a lane leading off) I was free
to drive on the crown of the road, and thus miss the worst of the water.
One puddle in particular was like unto a ford, and that was what nearly
drowned the Peugeot. To be honest, it had a good go at grounding the
Imp, but I'm not admitting that...
The Peugeot, despite earlier indications to the contrary, is driveable
today. If it tips down again like that though, I'll take the Imp. Ee,
they don't make them like they used to...
--
Fran
To email me see 'from' in headers; use your net know-how to find the
domain, and put my real name in front thereof.
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