Rainy Days in Ontario: Stay Dry and Warm!

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britathrt60

Oh my gosh, it's been pouring rain here in Ontario for 2 days.... I have to dig my Wellygogs and Brolly out tomorrow and weather the storm.... We are supposed to get 40 to 50 mm here.. Thank goodness it's not snow..... That will be next week's forecast, I'm sure... Hope you are all staying warm and dry wherever you are.

Ange

Bill

Hello Ange.
It's also pouring with rain here in the UK and looks like doing so for most of the coming week. What we need for this type of weather is a functional and effective rain outfit (Including a well-designed Hat!). I am not a fan of umbrellas for the type of rain that we get, as they tend to act either as wind-sails to drag you along and possibly over, or they turn inside out and are practically useless for keeping dry. The most functional hats are those with chinstraps so that you don't lose them in the wind; the best of the coats are those with double shoulder covers so that the worst of the rain hits the outer layer and runs off more gently; also, I like to have a raincoat which is long enough to be sure to go over the wellies, rather than have the rain drip into them. On really bad days, I wear waders instead of the shorter wellies as these are much more waterproof than wellies when the water starts getting deep.
It's interesting that you are grateful that it's not snow! Over here, many people prefer the snow, as it seems to make everywhere appear clean again and tends to lift the spirits for a while. Of course, that's only an illusion and as soon as the snow starts to thaw, the effects of human pollution soon become only too apparent again.
I live in a rapidly expanding town at the lower end of a valley, where all the run-off from rainwater is obliged to pass before it reaches the main watercourse which will eventually take it to the sea. Each time it rains, it is likely to flood because developers have built over what used to be flood-plains; most people have pave or concreted over their gardens so that they can park even more cars and create even more rainwater run-off. The stream that runs through my garden is 'normally' just two to three inches deep. However, within 30 minutes of it raining, the water levels rise rapidly to about four feet and are at the very limits of its banks. On the other side of the house is a main road where the drains cannot cope with the amounts of water, so it runs just like a river for the whole stretch. The problems come when inconsiderate drivers do not slow down for the water and drive at speeds which cause tidal waves to lash against the front of the house. I have, of course tried to mitigate this intrusion by building flood barriers at the front of the property, which do a pretty good job keeping the unwanted water waves off the property. However, these defences need to be put out each time heavy rain is forecast, and over the past year or so I have been erecting them much more often that I used to.
From my perspective, I believe that we humans have, one way or another, have brought these things upon ourselves and are presently at the very beginning of having to pay the price for our past mistakes. I envisage that, if I live long enough, we will eventually have to abandon the lower floor of our house to the floodwaters and live on the upper floors. I also think it is a sad reflection on the human (lack of) abilities/ willingness to think ahead, rather than live for short-term profit on a day to day basis.
Enough ranting for today!
Best wishes and enjoy the rain - you could be in Australia enduring the fires.
Bill

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ron in mich

Hi all, we only got a dusting of lake effect snow here in N. Mich. so I won't have to get the snowblower out today. So I get to put my feet up and watch football and maybe get a nap in.

Jimky 1

It's heavy rain and windy here in Scotland.

lovely

We had a lot of rain at my house and my driveway slants downward. It looked like a small running stream. Some parts of my county got a lot of damaging winds with downed trees and power lines down, causing damage to some homes. Today has been beautiful and warm.

 
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Puppyluv56

We got some of those bad storms in Chapin last night! Lost my power about 9:30. The wind was really strong and the rain was hard. It has been raining a lot lately! Feast or famine!
Looks like more coming!

Puppy

britathrt60

Oh Bill, when you describe where you live, it makes me homesick... growing up in England was enchanting... all the fields and styles, streams, and sea... it was lovely. I am so blessed with wonderful memories of back home.   Ange

Bill

Hello Ange.

Sometimes it is so much better to have good memories, than to live in the reality of the situation/environment. That's why people go on holiday (to places like Canada) and wish it would last forever!

Best wishes

Bill

megalyman

Wellygogs, Brolly? What the heck are those? You guys sure talk strange. I live in north central Texas and got snow yesterday. Please take it back!

iMacG5

Bill, your reply is so meaningful. Even if I had thoughts like yours I wouldn't know how to apply them because, as Megalyman asks, “what the heck are Wellygogs and Brolly”?
Good luck Ange. I’m thinkin’ you know what you’re doing even though I have no clue.
Respectfully,
Mike


britathrt60

Wellygogs are Wellington boots.. so called because the Duke of Wellington wore them in England.... which are rubber boots... LOL.. and a brolly is an umbrella.... just like the trunk of a car is a boot and the hood is a bonnet... and a truck is a lorry... we Brits do talk strange, don't we... LOL.. I learned the hard way moving here when I was 17.. we had black door knockers on our front doors and used to tell our friends to come and knock us up in the morning.

A definite no-no here.. haha

kstyle

Britathrt60-

You are just a bit north of me! I thought umbrellas were called bumbershoots? Or something like that? I have a few friends from the UK currently still living there and a friend from Scotland here as a neighbor and I always compare vocabulary with him! I love the way people in the UK can use "profanity" and still sound so posh!

The knockers term- I'm gonna have to use that with my Scot friend - catch him off guard- cracked me up!

K

britathrt60

Hahahaha kstyle....yes try the knock me up one on your Scot friend.... depends how old he is...I'm going back 50 years he may not have heard that one..let me know the outcome....Ange

kstyle

Lol, he's 76 and a bit of a letch, so I'm sure he will thoroughly enjoy it!

Bill

All this talk about knockers!  So, I googled 'knocker- images' and it came up with what I expected. Lots of implements to knock on doors with. However, there were one or two unexplained knitted items which looked a bit like large fairy cakes with a cherry on top. I presumed the women behind them had knitted them and were showing them off for the camera.

Best wishes

Bill

iMacG5

At least you Brits understand each other.  We Americans are beginning to speak in Tongues.

Thanks for the vocabulary lessons.

Mike

Bill

Hello Mike. 

I think there must be a misconception about all Brits understanding each other. There are so many different dialects in the UK and some of them are almost impossible to understand (unless you were raised in the area where they are used). I have often commented on the phenomenon of interviewing people on TV without subtitles as being hopeless for those of us who are not of Scottish origin. The Glaswegian and Liverpool accents are particularly difficult to follow and as for the Welsh language - well most English people have long-since given up altogether. One of the reasons why many UK people appear to speak in a 'posh' way, is that we were taught to speak what was called 'Kings-English'. This basically means that the upper classes thought that their dialect was the only one that had any meaning, and should therefore be taught in the school system. 

The taking away of native languages, is just another form of domination and subjugation. At its most dominant, Britain was adept at this throughout their colonisation around the world, where they would insist on native people speaking English rather than their native tongues. The concept and perception that a 'posh' accent is somehow 'better' than any other, is a confidence trick to encourage people to think that these people are 'superior' and should therefore have more influence and power than others. It still goes on here, but mostly at a subconscious level.

Best wishes

Bill

lovely

Hi Bill, I am sure there are a lot of words we use that you don't understand. There are also a lot of words and phrases used across the US. I had a friend who moved here to South Carolina from New York. She used to laugh at some words and phrases I used. One was "lollygagging".
If you are lollygagging, this means that you are spending your time pointlessly. Another was "reckon". It kind of replaces the word "guess." Instead of saying, "I guess I can do that.", you would say, "I reckon I can do that." "Ain't" means "I am not doing that." When someone uses a word I don't understand, I just google it.

iMacG5

Thanks so much for this information, Bill. Language is important to me though my writing might expose lots of errors. Some of them are deliberate to emphasize a thought and most are because I just don’t know any better. Being careless with my language would be disrespectful to whomever I’m attempting to communicate with and I hope to avoid that.
I spent about seven years working with a guy from Liverpool who knew “his” language very well. His best friend was from Wicklow, Ireland and worked with us. Marty, the Brit, told me he had trouble understanding folks from other parts of the UK and usually had no idea what Eric, the Irishman, was saying. Some “uppidy” Americans attempt to define themselves as distinguished by emphasizing their “ings” and the letter “T”. I shouldn’t care so long as I understand their message. But I do care. The message is one thing; the manner in which it’s delivered is another.
I am so appreciative of your message and, as always, respectfully grateful for your mannerism.
Sincerely,
Mike

Bill

Hello Mike. 

One of the interesting things for me about language and communication is that whilst many people think it is largely dialectic beteween one or more people, I believe that the most important communication is that which someone has with themselves.  Writing, and particularly rhyming verse, is a great medium for doing just this. It doesn't really matter if anyone else reads it, as long as the messages have been documented for posterity. 

I spent much of my working life teaching people how to talk to themselves 'constructively', so that they could be self-organised in both their learning and their living. It can be quite enlightening how much individuals know, when once they are enabled to communicate their thoughts without feeling that they might be 'wrong', or that someone might criticise them for doing so. 

Best wishes

Bill

kstyle

Hey Ange- I thought of you last night and laughed because I was watching late night Frasier and Daphne used the "knocked me up" verbiage referring to Martin waking her up in the morning- and she had to go on explaining it - I just sat with a smile on my face thinking "I already knew that!"

The little things in life bring me joy!

K

britathrt60

Hey K....hahahaha, that's crazy that you saw it on TV... I'm glad you heard it from me first.... I chuckle at some of the stuff on here too... It's nice to have friends on this site to chat with... Take care K.

Ange

britathrt60

Hi Mike....so I lived across the River Mersey from Liverpool...very Scouse language we had.....btw "Ferry Across the Mersey" is my favourite song...we used to take the ferry across every Sat to go shopping in Liverpool.....I had a hard time moving to Canada at 17 years old because I still had a Scouse accent...

We dropped our H's so instead of house we said ouse and my would become me...so we would say "are you comin' over to me ouse"...we had to have elocution lessons given by our music teacher....we had to learn how to roll our R's.....so it was hilarious ..we had to say "How Now Brrrrrrrrrrrown Cow Grrrrrrrazing in the Grrrrrreen Grrrrreen Grrrrrrrrass" over and over again ....LOL school was a lot different back in the early 60's... but never let it fool you we were as smart as the snobbish folk they maybe didn't think so....LOL....now Mike I hope you enjoyed your lesson for today now....go pour us a bloody pint ya silly git.....just joking with ya.

Ange

kstyle

Hey Bill! 

I will say for me, yes, over here in the states I didn't realize the diversity of the dialects from across the pond. A very special friend of mine once took the time to send me YouTube clips of the different areas of the UK from North to South, pointing out the diversity. I found it very interesting and obviously related it to our different accents here in the states. 

K

Puppyluv56

Haha,  

Lovely, I am a transplant from Ohio to SC via California and Illinois. My father retired from the USAF here where his parents lived. I was just starting high school. The southern kids laughed at my Midwestern accent and words I used too! I always said "you guys" and had to learn to say y'all! Lots of those little words and sayings I still use on occasion, but being down here 50 years, I am a true Southerner! Lol Some accents from the Lowcountry are really hard to understand. Once I was in St. George and a friend said, "Let's go have a beer!" I said, "WHAT? I do NOT want a bear." He was saying beer, but it sounded like bear. Scared me! Lol

Pup

iMacG5

Hi Ange.  So glad I found this despite my bad timing.  I very much enjoyed today's lesson but I'm not ready for a quiz yet.  What is amazing is reading your description of the vernacular I could hear Marty clearly like it was yesterday.  You did a great job!  Thanks for me scouse lesson. Maybe i'll just do a bevvy and a bifter or two.    Wow!  Do I sound like a Plazee Scouser?  Sorry but LOL.

Can't thank you enough.  Ta'

Mike

britathrt60

Hi Mike, wow! You do the Scouser bloke really well....well done.
If anyone gets on your nerves, just tell them that if they don't shurrup, you're gonna stick de ead on 'em. LOL...oh my gosh, all this Brit talk is doin' my ead in.. Tara for now, mate.. Cheers!

iMacG5

So Ange, it was about 57 years ago when my coworker from Liverpool told me to be certain to watch the Johnny Carson Show because the Beet-ills would be on. I asked what the Beet-ills was or were and he acted surprised that I didn’t know about the singing group from his home town. He said one of them lived a block and a half from his UK home. I asked, “Do you mean the Beatles?” I did hear of them but thought they were just another one of those groups with British accents. True story!
Tara wan,
Mike
PS: Wish I knew how to stick de ead on em way back when

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