Hello… It’s Me and Mister C…

Hi there, Me and Mister C hope you and your family are keeping well and safe during these (still) tricky Covid times. Mister C wanted to send out big hugs to all the communities in the beautiful country of Tonga, who have been affected by the Tsunami that hit over the weekend. It was very sad to see such footage on social media of the horrid events unfolding and the damage the Tsunami has caused; our thoughts go out to everyone, and hope that the vital communications are able to be restored promptly (damn that Mother Nature) … Sadly, for our family we have also had quite a turbulent start to the New Year; with record amounts of rainwater flooding some areas in our local town and also our property. Being one of the highest inland cities in NSW, it is not common for our town to flood; the water gauge showed over one hundred and ten mls and the downpour occurred in less than ten hours! Unfortunately, our entire ground floor of our house flooded, not once but twice (oh no!) about two weeks ago now…

I have to write, it was so heart-wrenching seeing all that water come pouring in through the back (ground) wall, especially only having completed all the renovations towards the end of September last year (not to mention all the new carpet too). The water came so quickly (there really was nothing we could do to stop it), it had to find somewhere to go and that was through our footings under the house (through the rock face- as the house is built into the side of the hill) and straight through the back wall and through the entire ground floor areas (including the bathroom). We were thankful for the tiled areas and there was a sturdy drain near the kitchenette, which did help take some of the water away. I recall we had a similar issue back in 2018, but nowhere near as horrific (only about seventy-five mls that time); we had a minor flood at the front of the house, where the foyer and laundry flooded from the top ceiling and through the light fittings. Being a semi-rural area (so we have been told by the Council), being an older area, we therefore have no gutters, storm water connections and street lights on our particular part of the back end of the street (lower down it does). Also being at the back of the nature reserve and the adjoining street with ours is a ‘no through road’ (not a good combination), our property gets all the rainwater run off every time it rains (and we have had our fair share so far this year alone!).

I had worked all day and it had been raining lightly (on and off) since about three am; when it does rain, I always (and diligently) check and clear off the drains near the top of the house, from loose leaves and debris (it always happens due to all of the beautiful gum trees around us). When I arrived home, I first checked the drains were clear (and had thought- good I recently had cleaned out all the gutters), I went inside to get changed and the rain become very heavy from a bout five pm onwards. I went back outside to check the front of the house (an old habit due to the previous flooding) and recall Husband called out, “I need you downstairs now. We have flooding inside and it’s all hands-on deck!” I quickly ran down outside the house and into the back door to see the torrent of water coming our way. I called out the t kids (Flossy was at a friend’s house for a birthday party celebration) to grab as many towels, rugs and linen as possible, so as to try and prevent the water from flowing into Widy’s new bedroom (and onto the new carpet). The rainwater kept on coming, but we managed to block most of the water and the carpet became partially wet (good job!).

A long story shortened (you don’t need to read every single unhappy detail?), the first downpour soon settled and the dirty groundwater had eased off (still water everywhere mind you); I managed to call the SES who thankfully came out about just over an hour later (thanks so very much!). But within the hour the rain poured again and the ground water began flowing yet again! I had run down to check on our sweet chook girls, who were also flooded in their shed; luckily, they have perches and were safely perched up high in the shed. I spent about twenty minutes dishing out the rain water with their large plastic feed container, successfully getting most water out. The SES came out and helped put some sandbags to the side of the house (thank-you!), where some ventilation holes were quite low in the wall to the ground and water had seeped in through there as well.

I’ll never forget the look on sweet Mister C’s face when all the ground water come flooding in (like all of us really); it was a look of disbelief mixed with a hint of terror (not good). He ran back upstairs muttering something about cups, he came running back downstairs a minute or so later holding about five cups and small bowls. He sighed and said, “Gee, Mummy I’ve never seen so much water in the house, ever!” He began to scoop up some of the dirty water with a cup in each hand, tipping the water into a bigger bucket that was near him. Mister C did this over and over for about fifteen minutes (well done, my son), he sighed and then said, “Why does all this water have to keep on coming in, Mummy? It’s for too much all at once!” He kept on digging out the water with plastic cups (very endearing really) into the ankle deep-water, for about another fifteen minutes or so (so proud).

The rain finally eased, then stopped (phew!), giving us a reprieve, we needed to stop and take a breath and stretch out our aching backs); the SES had been and gone, their uplifting water jokes still lingering in our minds. Mister C was very cute when the SES were at the house, I recall he also said to the SES with a big smile on his face, “I know who you are, you look like fire-fighters, but you’re actually water-fighters!” The SES group all laughed and then the water jokes began flowing (like the water did). I remember one joke said by one of the male SES officers during their visit, the officer said, “It’s a good night to go for a swim, don’t you think?” We all groaned and then chuckled, the joke breaking the ice; a bit of a laugh did help to lower our stress levels a bit (thank-you!). I also do want to publicly thank our insurer (NRMA) for their help…

As with most events (good or bad) in our lives, these times usually happened when you least expected them (naturally); we had booked to go on a trip up to the Gong (Wollongong) for three nights with the girls and Mister C, for a family getaway together the following morning; having just started to pack some items and clothing the day before. Being a stressful time (of course we didn’t get much sleep that night either and were tired too), Husband and I had a few discussions on whether we should still travel away with the house still in such a big mess; the carpet was drenched in our bedroom and walk in wardrobe areas, along with part of Widy’s room too. Husband had managed to call our insurance company the night it the disaster occurred (thanks so much!), who were able to lodge an urgent contents claim for the house and had arranged an emergency response company to come out the following morning, to assess the damage and review the flooring and furniture (so thankful). We were very grateful when they company did arrive (thanks again so much) and the assessment later showed the carpet was not salvageable and had to be quickly removed, so as not the damage the underflooring and furniture any further. So, with that in mind (there really was nothing else we could do), not to mention Widy, Husband and I couldn’t sleep downstairs either with the (necessary) blower vacs and water extraction machines in place, we decided to head off on our trip later that afternoon (after a few tears on Husband’s shoulder first and a quick call to my dear sister- thanks!).

I had arranged my dear friend (thanks H.C) to help with the chooks and sweet finches while we were away; I rang my friend before we left explaining the event and the state of the house downstairs and off, we reluctantly went (I think we were all still in some sort of state of shock). The girls and Mister C were very helpful with packing their things and helped Dad to pack up the car (thanks kids); they really wanted to go away (and so deserved it too), we were all craving to spend some quality time at the beach too (a new adventure at anew place to add). I have to write, I’m so glad we did keep our booking and ended up still going away; it really helped us to wind down and spend some quality time together (it was needed), as we hadn’t been away together as a family since the same time approximately a year ago! (I won’t mention the very small and dated family hotel room and that I hardly packed many clothes and no swimmers- let’s keep that story for next week?) …

Here’s another word from Mister C to help brighten up our day…

Mister C was sitting in the lounge room watching TV, Dad walked into the room from the front foyer, after going out to the shops earlier. “Hi, my son,” Dad smiled as he walked in, putting the two grocery bags down on the floor. Mister C jumped up, giving Dad a big hug, “Hi, Dad,” Mister C replied giggling. Dad put Mister C down and said, “Hey, will you look after me when I’m a salty codger, and in a wheel- chair, and change my salty codger man-nappy? (no disrespect intended). Because I probably won’t be able to walk at all by then!” … “Oh, Maybe, Dad, well…” Mister C said scratching his head; “Only if you never cook cabbage and broccoli again in the microwave, because it really smell disgusting!” Dad looked amused and shrugged his shoulders (trying not to think about the broccoli he had just bought at the shops), they both began to laugh… 🙃

A Word from Mister C…

Dad was cooking tea for the girls and Mister C; Mister C came into the kitchen and asked, “What’s for our Aussie tucker tonight, Dad?” Dad looked up and laughed, “Well, my son, you’ll have some quality tucker very soon!” Dad called out to the girls that tea was ready, Mister C was already sitting at the dining table. Mister C took a bite off his fork then said, “This is the best tea ever, Dad! You’re the best cook; thanks for this great Aussie tucker!” The girls nodded and mumbled, “thanks, Dad!” Dad smiled then replied, “Thanks everyone!” Mister C then replied, “If you opened a restaurant tomorrow that sold special noodles and crispy dinosaur nuggets in the plenty, I’d go there three times a day- it’s SO good!” All laughed…  🙃

Stay tuned…

For some more stories from our trip away at the Gong… Due to the ongoing school holidays (and care of the kids, while also juggling life and work), over the next few weeks, I will most likely write and upload a shortened holiday version over this time (hope you all understand?). We just found out as well, it’s going to be over two weeks before the assigned building company can come out to assess the footings and foundations of the house, so we won’t be able to get new flooring in for some time yet (arrg- such is life!)… Thanks for your patience; as my Nan always told me, “What doesn’t kill us first, always makes us stronger!”… 🌈