Monday, July 23, 2007

Instant Water

Meanwhile at my local supermarket the shelves are predictably denuded of all bottled water. This is because the local water company issued advice to boil drinking water after a processing plant was contaminated by, er, rain. Yes, some heavily chlorinated water was 'contaminated' by rain - though, in order to damp down the inevitable panic, the water company thoughtfully added that the rain was 'diluted'. Er, with what? Was this a case of Instant Water: Just add water? Truly a mad world out there.
PS: Bryan adds: And, Nige, with east coast US coming online, I think we ought to reassure our regular American readers that we'll be okay. Really. Fine. Honestly. 

11 comments:

  1. What makes you imagine we care whether you are okay? If your birds are happy, we're happy.

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  2. Well quite,Peter, and, yes, the birds seem fine, though none has yet returned to our ark bearing an olive branch.

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  3. The butterflies are, of course, lying low...

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  4. The left coast of the US now online appreciates the reassurance. The policy here has been not to inquire too deeply - regular posting & comments by regulars providing sufficient evidence that no one has drowned or, one hopes, been rendered homeless. Under the circumstances, all that can be done is hope for the best for all of you.

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  5. Oh! And in case anyone talking to friends real or imagined needs to know:

    A cubit is a unit of linear measure, from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger of a man. This unit is commonly converted to 0.46 meters or 18 inches, although that varies with height of the man doing the measurement. There is also a “long” cubit that is longer than a regular cubit by a handbreadth.

    Or so sayeth the World English Bible.

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  6. You don't fool me for a moment, IR. I know that under all that syrupy humanism lies a raging ornithophobe.

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  7. As the plant in Berkshire that makes Britain's nuclear warheads is now underwater, it may be prudent to stick to imported beer for a while - shouldn't be too bad with an extra teabag and plenty of honey.

    There are signs of panic-buying in the local Co-op here, though their own-brand mineral water has been left untouched, I see.

    The Thames in West Oxford this afternoon was huge raging, seething mass, and clearly very dangerous. Anyone in trouble anywhere near it would surely be a goner.

    Houses near the river had put out sandbags, but somehow I doubt that a sandbag is going to deter the Thames and I wonder whether, deep down, the householders don't think so too. In a nice Ballardian touch, the sandbags were being distributed from the car park of PC World.

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  8. Whew -- glad now that I visited G.B. a year ago rather than this year. It was hotter than the devil but virtually rain-free. In other words, completely unEnglish weather.

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  9. Ever since I saw The Birds as child, Peter!

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  10. While excessive water is still a topic, I think all should hear Bill Cosby's Noah sketch (introduced to me by Claire on her return from Canada. I didn't think it all that funny at the time. The accent...).

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