Damp dishdashas

Damp dishdashas and sandaled feet stomping through ankle-deep puddles. The photo above is an exaggeration; that flooding was actually caused by incautious use of a JCB which ruptured a water main.

But the first half of December has been unusually wet for the region. Don’t we welcome the occasional spot of rain, as an alternative to permanent bright, blue skies and boring blazing sunshine?

Countries where rain is common take it into account in many ways. Pavements (or for Americans, sidewalks) are constructed to enable run-off. Here, if made of paving stones, they are often uneven and allow vast pools of water to accumulate. If, as often is the case, the walkway is tiled with ceramics or luxurious marble then the danger of slipping is there with every step.

Rainland roads have camber, gutters and gullies. Waiting to walk at a traffic light in the Sandlands (some do wait for green) you can be sure that the cars speeding past will send up drenching plumes of spray, before they skid to a halt and allow you to paddle across to the other side of the street.

Note to self: green wellies, not the Tods.