Storm Over Beetley (Again)

~ beetleypete

The promised break in the recent hot and sunny weather arrived with a vengeance in Beetley today.
By midday, it was dark enough indoors to put on lights, and the rain soon followed, preceded by loud thunder, and lightning flashes. I was in the middle of doing some housework, and carried on, hoping it might clear up in time for the necessary dog walk with Ollie.

But it didn’t.

Despite the strong winds and deluge, it wasn’t cold. I left the house wearing shorts and a lightweight jacket, having to trust to my full-size umbrella to keep off the worst. After five minutes over on Beetley Meadows, I was soaked through. The rain was coming at me from all angles, driven by gusty winds, so the umbrella could do little more than keep my head dry. The water hadn’t had time to soak into the hard dry ground, so I had to wade through puddles fast-accumulating on the paths. My old leather loafers were soon saturated, and inside them, I was walking in a mixture of rainwater and mud that was squidging between my toes.

As always, Ollie was oblivious. Despite stopping frequently to violently shake the excess water from his fur, he was trotting around as if on a sunny afternoon stroll in the south of France. You would think that all that water would suppress whatever it is he likes to smell so much, but I had to presume that didn’t happen, as he happily sniffed at every overhanging leaf or plant stem. Fifteen minutes later, I was so wet, that I thought I might as well take him across to Hoe Rough for a while. Once we had arrived, I was a little concerned about being in an open area with so much lightning, especially as I was holding an umbrella tipped with a metal spike. The thunder crashed almost overhead, and made me wonder just what would happen if I was struck by lightning. With nobody else around, it would be a good while until they found my body!

The high grasses and low bushes there soaked my legs and hips even further. My shorts were heavy with water and translucent, stuck to my legs like cling film. I was having trouble staying in my shoes, and even my boxer shorts were sodden. The lightweight jacket was so wet through, it appeared to be black in colour, instead of mid-blue. Almost an hour later, I had well and truly had enough. The only diversion was the appearance of large numbers of small frogs, (or possibly toads) making their way across the paths into the longer grass. But even this brief natural wonder didn’t make up for being so wet.

When I stopped to put the lead on Ollie before heading home, he looked at me like a child told Christmas was cancelled. Anyone seeing me walking back must have thought I had been swimming in the river, fully-clothed.

The joys of dog ownership…

67 thoughts on “Storm Over Beetley (Again)”

    1. Sorry, no. It was wet and miserable, I’m afraid. We get too much rain here, and not enough sunny days to enjoy. I have to walk my dog every day, whatever the weather, so I get very tired of the wet. It has been raining non-stop for 24 hours now, and it is dark outside at 11:30 AM.
      It’s supposed to be summer! 🙂
      Thanks for your comment, and I send you my best wishes.
      Pete.

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      1. Yes, we too are having heavy rains, our monsoon season started early this month and will continue till October. We depend so much on rains, we need them but they also bring so much misery to so many. But it is impossible to imagine life without water. Thanks for replying, Regards, Lakshmi

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  9. I hope the weather is better today, even if I’m sure it must have been a welcome change. Here it’s supposed to change today or tomorrow, but so far it is sunny.
    I have another stint of looking at my friends’ three dogs coming up in September. You’ve reminded me that perhaps I should invest on waterproof trousers…
    Thanks, Pete.

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  15. Three thoughts: I can see you all wet and uncomfortable. Good man for walking Ollie under those conditions. I worked with a man who was stuck by lighting. Fortunately, it did not cross his body but went down one side. He got burns but lived. His groceries, he was carrying in a bag ended up cooked. As to dogs holding it for long periods of time, we took our Lab camping once. Since we were living outside and in a tent, she was very confused. She gave every sign of needing to “go outside.” But we were outside. Finally, I thought to put her on a leash and walk her to the road. She decided the road was appropriate. Finally.
    Warmest regards, Theo

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    1. Thanks, Theo. Some years back, Ollie decided to stop ‘going’ in the garden. Since then, he will hold himself for a seemingly unlimited time, until he sees ‘different’ grass!
      I have to walk him, whatever the weather. Not just for him, but for me also. Otherwise, I would be blogging instead!
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I have lots of waterproofs, FR. It was almost 20 degrees though, despite the rain. So, too warm to get wrapped up. Looks like we have another 12-18 hours of this here, from the last forecast.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. How good you are to Ollie. I doubt most of us would have made such a trek for over an hour! Weather is a funny thing isn’t it? We had record breaking temperatures in the upper nineties over the weekend here, and by Monday it had dropped by 30 degrees.. fortunately no major storms such as you experienced! hoping you get something more mellow soon!

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    1. Believe me, I didn’t relish heading out today, Susanne. But I would feel very guilty, if Ollie got no exercise. Something less extreme would be welcome. Monday was quite nice though, so I can’t really complain.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  22. Oh good news! 🙂 Sorry, Pete … But it’s sooooo good for the garden, juchu! I do hope the rain reached the coast as well. All the butts have been empty for so long.
    Greetings from Norway to you and Julie and Ollie. Here we have all kinds of weather, except heat vawe,
    Dina & co

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  24. Dogs are amazing…I have a dog that survived Katrina on her own and to this day when the wind picks up and the rain starts she finds it safer under my desk……she would explode before doing business in house so by the time she can get out she is ready to relieve herself and she has a pleased semi-orgasmic look on her face…..ain’t dogs a wondrous thing? chuq

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  25. Amazing how much they just enjoy being out on a walk, no matter the weather! Choppy hates going out in the rain – that first step into the rain is never fun for her – but once she is out there and wet, it’s like she doesn’t even notice it.

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    1. There are stories of people getting struck by lightning here, usually on golf courses. Must be all those metal clubs! The rain is getting heavier, and the sky is almost night-time dark as I type…
      Best wishes, Pete.

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