145. Is the Grass Greener? Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers’ gig curtailed by thunder

Monday 19 June 2023

It’s been raining. Our dried-out stream now has running water and the wonderful sound of a mini waterfall. I went out before 08:00 this morning after another burst of rain, checking the water tank and doing my ‘patrol’. The water tank was at about fifty-nine centimetres and still just the occasional drip ‘filling’ it from the spring. I expected a trickle at least. We’re hoping the dripping was more of a trickle while it was raining. If not, we probably need to be even more worried about the spring and our water supply.

This ‘waterfall’ was completely dry for weeks. A few hours of heavy rain and, hurrah, there is water flowing. 19 June 2023
Walking back to the car at about 22:00 in torrential rain

Having had no rain for over six weeks, we went to the last day of the Borders Book Festival in Melrose yesterday afternoon, not convinced the forecast evening rain (from 20:00) would ever materialise (though I did pack my yellow waterproof jacket). The talks were in marquees with generators. We heard Gordon Brown and Chris Brookmyre with Jenny Colgan and then had tickets for The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers at 20:30 (a rock band formed of six crime writers covering crime-related songs, with Val McDermid on lead vocals). By 20:00 it had started raining. Quite a lot. Then there was a big flash of lightning, followed closely by thunder. For health and safety reasons, the generators had to be turned off and there needed to be half an hour without thunder or lightning before they could be powered on again. The rain kept coming and chatter largely focussed on how much we all needed rain, but in a couple of hours rather than shortly before the end of the festival. In the end, they were only able to perform from about 21:15 to 21:45, when more lightning and thunder was heard and seen. Such a shame, the band sounded amazing and there was a real feeling of joy from the stage and the audience. We all had seats but way more people than I would have expected, with encouragement from Mark Billingham (guitar and vocals), a lot of people got up to dance. It really was a fun event. By the time we abandoned it being able to continue within the 23:00 curfew, we got absolutely drenched on the way back to the car to drive home. We started driving shortly before 22:15. There was water, localised flooding, on the roads. The whole way back, about twenty-five miles, we didn’t see another car other than at a couple of junctions on the outskirts of Melrose and Selkirk. By the time we were a mile from home, it was torrential rain, wipers on full and staggering amounts of water on the road. The biggest stress, however, was trying to avoid frogs. There were hundreds. I am not exaggerating. Hundreds of frogs, many of them sitting on the road facing the car, a few hopping across the road. I dread to think how many I wasn’t able to avoid.

Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers at Melrose Book Festival 18 June 2023

This week, I have a fairly normal week ahead, though I need to get a new tyre for my car as one tyre keeps going down. We also have our only local friends coming round for dinner on Friday night, the first time we’ll have had dinner guests who aren’t staying with us. We have had a few friends round for dinner in London since Covid but it’ll be the first time here; I like having people round for dinner and going to friends’ houses for dinner.

Now to check what size tyre I need, order it and make an arrangement to collect it on Wednesday.