Help! I’ve got no water
Last week’s flash floods delivered 3 inches of rain in 90 minutes. And flooding in the garage of my apartment block. And, from there, sewage from the mains flooded in as well - over a metre deep. The pumps that supply water to the many flats were completely submerged and all simultaneously stopped working (as you might expect!).
For a week we had no water.
No water meant buckets & bottles at the ready!
This is what I found.
1. Lemonade is cheaper than water
All the residents spent their day queueing for one single hosepipe to fill buckets and bottles. So I went to Tesco instead. “Every little helps” indeed!
They only had Evian and as I’m not the type to put that sort of money (and water) down the toilet (literally!) I purchased multiple bottles of lemonade instead. Our flat smelt rather like a Summer Garden Party for a while, so that was nice!
I couldn’t believe that it was significantly cheaper than water (how? why!?), in general, and Evian water in particular.
(I did also boil an egg in lemonade - this one I wouldn’t recommend, unless you like slightly sweet eggs with your soldiers!)
2. Some people really aren’t very nice
We had no water due to an Act of God. No one was negligent, it was no one’s fault. We were all in it together. The management company worked hard and non stop to fix the problem.
Yet, the verbal abuse they got incessantly from a seemingly never-ending stream of unhappy people was just appalling and completely unacceptable. It was, of course, an inconvenience, but really. With everything happening around the world at the moment, is it that hard to be civil to other humans?
3. I like a challenge!
As we were waterless, we pretended we were camping. I cooked homemade pizza pockets wrapped in foil directly on the gas flame on the hob. We got sticks from the park and roasted marshmallows over the naked flame. I put my daughter’s mattress on the floor and built a canopy over it so she could sleep in a tent. We joked and giggled about doing a “bush wee” on the balcony. (A Bluey reference, if you were wondering)
We had a mini festival dance off in the kitchen one night, inspired by the line of portaloos that appeared in the turning circle outside our building. I washed her clothes under the tap in our allotment. I hosed her down there one afternoon as well. 😄
We made the most of it and I rather enjoyed it for a change!
4. We use a lot of water. We waste a lot of water
You don’t realise how much water you use until you have to fill a bucket or bottle and lug it back - and then watch it all very quickly disappear down the drain. You don’t realise how much we rely on water just being there until it’s not on tap. Washing up, washing hands, the washing, toilets, drinking, showering, on toothbrushes..
I’ve been bought up to not waste water. I’m aware, I turn the tap off when I brush my teeth, don’t leave it running when I wash up etc etc. But still. Gosh we use and waste a lot. I’m much more conscious and aware and on the look out for ways to save water.
5. TingTang is very useful
I would say that, wouldn’t I? But genuinely, it was so handy. We washed our hair and bodies with TingTang Dry Wash Shampoo. I removed all of the dirt and grime she was caked in from the playground. (Just look at the state of her!) Because it actually cleans, we felt fresh despite the sticky weather and situation.
We were offered places to go to wash but it was nice to not have to trek across London, to have the freedom to stay in our own home. To be actually clean and carry on normally in an unusual situation.
If you don’t have a bottle just in case, you really should.
Otherwise you might remember this blog when:
your boiler packs up in the winter
your baby vomits on your head when you’re carrying them on your shoulders on your summer holiday
you’re camping, feeling tired from your constantly deflating airbed and grimy from being one with nature…
Before & After TingTang Dry Wash Shampoo. TIME: 2 minutes to clean my part-line.
