Parched vs Soaked

Well. That was exciting. I'm taking a second moment to post this quickly before a third thunderstorms drops on us.

The first, earlier this afternoon, pounded us with over an inch of rain and hail, causing the street drain to block with debris. That, in turn, causes our back drain to stop flowing (if anyone knows the physics of that, I'd like to know). That meant getting out in the downpour and clearing the street drain, then sweeping... yes, sweeping, the excess water down the driveway from the back of the house (when the the 'villas' behind the house were built, they redirected the natural drainage channel from the street through our backyard - the bastards - all with council approval); that I did during the lull. Then the second came rolling in like a freight train.

Heavy rain makes me paranoid. We've been flooded before during a freak storm; I have no wish to revisit that night. The local Council was supposed to fix the street drainage some two, three years ago. This year, we might get something done.

With the end of El Nino and scientists watching the Pacific temperatures for La Nina, we don't need a 'maybe'. If El Nino is dry, La Nina is the opposite. For ten years we've had drier than usual summers. No longer. This February has the rain gauge at over double the average and the trend is set to continue with good Autumn rains.

Tomorrow, if the weather clears, I'm out in the garden digging a channel down the side of the house; yeah, yeah, I should have done it before now, but Mo-om, there are creepy-crawlies and eight-legged beasties out there! I'll have to brave them (eep!).

Good news? I have plenty of adjectives to describe the event. Bad News? I can see another storm coming.