Under Water

And the rains came as predicted in the shape of stair rods in an incessant deluge, to flood the Meadows and create large ponds wherein did swim ducks and seagulls, with dogs splashing through the water on a water fowl chase.

In all my many summers and winters in the land of the living, I have never seen flooding like it here.
The costly 'Taste of Edinburgh' under canvas encampment at the edge of Middle Meadow Walk was an island swamped in an ever expanding sea and was closed for the day.
Pedestrians hardy enough to venture forth were performing intricate dance steps to circumvent the paths under water.

But Jennie and I are women, made of sterner stuff on a shopping mission before she leaves for sunny California tomorrow, and were part of the few who braved the weather to shop.

And shop we did. It's an astute move for the owner of a boutique shop to ply us with sparkling wine, and then sit back and process the credit cards.
My purchase may well feature in a future blip.

The surreal part of the sale was my asking the owner if she had been at Art College. It's one of these occasions when you have no idea why you asked, but it turned out she had been at school with daughter# 4, but had lost touch when they went to different Art Colleges.
She knew our family having been to the old castle and the more we talked, the more the memories flooded (a seemingly appropriate word for use today) back of that time 18 years ago.

Life has a funny way of throwing up happy surprises in the midst of a summer of drookit hair and trench foot.

Edit: Jennie my American friend has become a blipper under the name of Berkleyblipper. Take a look.