Waiting for the surf

I do miss having a bath. (I am clean). But if I could get in a bath it would take two strong firemen to get me out again. But the bliss, supine in warm scented bubbles, a Kir on the side and book in hand (that practice was forbidden, I dropped so many in, and it took weeks to dry a paperback out in the airing cupboard.)

At the moment my mind is fixed on water, the lack of it; 5 weeks record heat and no rain. My mind goes back 50 years, to the 1976 drought, trying to keep vegetables alive. There were major restrictions, hose-pie ban, no car wash, share a bath! Some people had standpipes. Our petrol station was near Wentworth Gold Course, with mega-rich house owners. The pump attendant was permanently enraged, people watered their lawns and paid the fines. I do not know if Bruce Forsyth was a culprit, he lived there.

In 1976 we had acquired our dream farm, as tenants, five children, hard work, first house buried under motorway, ‘holidays’ driving all night in our Land Rover to Italy. 22 years of marriage, working like mad, but happy, fulfilled. Then the drought, such stress, resulting in burn-out for Mr G. (I am listening to marvellous mediaeval music, they did not wash!)

I do not know if anybody here has ever seriously lacked water. I was in Sicily in mid-August with three young children. The water arrived every other day at 7 a.m for two hours. Our first Indian ‘refuge’ had a small hospital, no hot water; we installed solar panels (money gift from our irrigation man). In a bigger convent the ground outside the walls was used as a general latrine. If the monsoon was particularly heavy polluted water washed under the walls, causing potential outbreaks of cholera. For some celebration we levied money from guests and built two cisterns, safety.

My pessimism  grows; I have just finished my book looking at the problems of ‘ballooning’ longevity. I looked at the future, end of century 2 billion more people, high percentage oldies. How will they be fed? And, will there be enough water to grow the food? Watching TV, the millions of litres of water trying to control catastrophic fires. Then, idea new book (put it down to boredom)  on who controls water? Answer, wrong people.  I started with the river Euphrates, famous from our geography books. And, looking from the plane on the way to Singapore; is that the Euphrates? Tigris? Volga? It is estimated that great river will be dry in 10 years. It passes through five countries, none of them likely to co-operate with their neighbours. Dams are built, people displaced, ‘water sharing’ treaties signed, not adhered to. Too much irrigation, run off, pollution. The Colorado in the US is worse.

So, enjoy water ‘The quiet waters by’. I know people are proud of their cars, they still run dirty. But people are so proud, driving a dirty car is like a Victorian lady going to church without a hat! 

The Gardener

A Moodscope member