Oh! Not again :-(

The news papers are spread to absorb the water.

You must be wondering why I have posted this unflattering picture of our living room. I hope that Tara does not read this blog.

 Last night, Tara who had stepped out from our bedroom, we were watching IPL a crucial match for Dravid and his team, walked back gingerly and looking shocked announced, 'We are flooded again!' And  I said 'Oh not again!'

It was raining heavily and we had taken it easy as we had raised the height of the threshold between the LR and the terrace after it was flooded last month. But it was bad this time! Water had spread into our guest bedroom as well. That worried me as my desktop and connections for wifi  are in that room. As I rushed out Tara cautioned me, be careful, it is water everywhere!

While this may not impress my Bangkok friends, who have seen far more worse situations, it was quite serious for us. We mopped and scooped water for three hours in the night and again for an hour in the morning. Later, we took a review of the situation and formed an inquiry committee, us and the landlord.  I said that it had rained very heavily and the drain pipes were not adequate. The landlord declared that it had never happened before! His reasoning was that we had too may pots on the terrace and that had reduced the floor area to collect and evacuate rainwater. That was serious, I was worried he would ask us to remove the potted plants. 

While Tara is discussing and negotiating with the landlord (her father!), it occurred to me that there could be other factors than the technical ones.

 First time, it had rained heavily and we were flooded while we were watching IPL. Obviously we have faced a different kind of spot fixing, this time the spot was our terrace!

 Secondly, while Tara was busy mopping, I was either snoozing or watching the IPL match. Honestly, I did not realise that she was doing it! So this was definitely a retribution and there was no escape this time, I was with her all through!

 Finally, last time I had joked, 'You should not have mopped all night, the carpet would have been washed thoroughly by morning and at no cost to us'. She has been talking about dry cleaning the carpet! Well this time it was soaked thoroughly and a lot of dark dust did come out. This brings back to me how my grandmother would caution me whenever I joked. "Don't speak lightly, it will happen exactly as you have uttered. Whatever you say, good or bad, an angel out there will say 'So be it'!"

So it has! An angel must have said 'Thathasthu'. Anyway blame it on my preoccupation with the epics. I am getting as superstitious as my grandmother! But I guess Tara will still insist on dry cleaning the carpet as it now has that musty smell.



The leaves were clogged in this elbow!

The next day Tara called a plumber and surprise of surprises, he came, met the landlord and fixed a new drain pipe and we think we have solved the problem. The landlord was right in one way, while the area pots occupied was not the real issue, the leaves shed had got into the drain and had blocked the elbow junction. Why the elbow was smaller than the rest of the pipe cannot be answered now as the files are missing.

 

The new pipe, smoother joint!

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