Wednesday 14 June 2023
I am in Lewisham, where there is water on tap and no midges. I have, however, been bitten by something; I think mosquitoes.
My mum and I travelled together by train from Scottish Borders and Lockerbie station to London Victoria yesterday. We had been due to leave home for the station at 09:00. Just before 08:00, we found out that our 10:10 train had been cancelled but that the 09:10 was running. I don’t know how but we managed to set off at 08:10 and, with three minutes to spare, caught an earlier 09:00 train. By that time, the 09:10 had also cancelled. We arrived at Carlisle over an hour early but both our tickets allowed us to catch a train from Carlisle to Euston at 09:48. I was back in Lewisham by 14:40 and my mum was back home in Kent for 15:15. And the trains were quiet and the air conditioning was working.
After getting up yesterday, I headed out to check the water tank. As predicted, the water level had reduced by another few centimetres, down to about thirty-seven centimetres, about a fifth of the usable area of water for the house remaining. It was a beautiful morning and even the midges weren’t too pesky. I made lunch, a quick breakfast and then mum and I set off for London. I felt sad to be leaving the house, as I always feel these days, but I was looking forward to showers and being able to wash some clothes.
On arrival at Euston and catching a hot, fairly busy tube to Victoria with my mum who is not currently equipped to battle her way speedily through crowds, I felt we were both sucked into the rush-rush-rush-ness of London. It is almost impossible to move around slower than the masses on London Underground. Stressful, but someone gave up their seat for my mum as soon as she stood by him and two people offered to help. Reassuring.
London, like Scottish Borders, was hot. The flat was hot. But we have an air conditioning unit so I slept a bit better here last night than I had been in Scotland.
I have done some work, been to my hairdresser, done a shop for non-supermarket Indian ingredients for a dinner I’m doing for the only two friends we have near home in Scotland, watched TV (no TV in Scotland still), done a wash, had a bath (yes, I did feel almost guilty for using so much water), had a coffee out and had a good early morning walk before it got too hot (Lewisham to Nunhead to Peckham).
Chris, meanwhile, is on water rationing. However – and I really can’t believe this – he saw the neighbour for the first time since last week and the neighbour and his friend had been up to our water tank and done something. Neither of us knows what. When Chris went up earlier, the water was down to thirty-three or so centimetres. A couple of hours after the neighbour and his friend (who lives off-grid in New Zealand) had been up there, Chris announced our water tank is full. We have no idea how. Chris had seen the neighbour earlier and he’d said that his borehole water supply was starting to come out with some sediment, meaning his water level might be quite low. We have no idea how it’s possible that we have a full tank of water. I’m hoping Chris gets to talk to the neighbour again to find out what on earth they did up there. It really does seem like a small miracle.
In the meantime, our river levels are almost at the lowest they’ve ever been recorded at and Scottish lochs are alarmingly low. Rain days keep being forecast further into June, but it currently looks like there could be the odd day of rain next week. Never have I wanted rain so much. Though I know I’m saying that from London where we have a good water supply. I’ll be back in Scotland on Friday night.
For the last day of my mum’s trip to stay with us, the three of us visited Traquair House, a gorgeous, if very hot, sunny day.
