The Lounge

Oh Jessica I feel for you girl having such a terrible summer. Hope it improves for the remainder. We are having an unusually cold winter. Find I am having to warm my room most nites.
I prefer it though Richie, I've never really been a summer person. I do like our cosy autumn evenings in the lounge with the heating on though 🤗
 
Boris is calling it "Freedom Day" with UK coming out of lockdown. Is that the case Jessica or are only those fully vaxed allowed outside? Hope so as you guys are still recording over 40K new cases every day. I will have my final AZ jab on Wednsday but still not be allowed to visit my brother who is also fully vaxed.
 
Thomas I saw on news that Eastern Germany is now having those heavy rain storms. Hell mate you live by a lake. What precautions are you planning in case of flooding?
 
Thomas I saw on news that Eastern Germany is now having those heavy rain storms. Hell mate you live by a lake. What precautions are you planning in case of flooding?
Your are right, mate. Torrential rain has now hit south-east Saxony and southern Bavaria both of which are mountainous regions. There's flooding and devastation but no one got killed AFAIK. The death toll in west Germany is now amounting to at least 153.
I live about 150km or more away from the scene in south-east Saxony. In southern Saxony, where I had to live during my working life, my house was flooded several times due to thunderstorms and the unfavourable location of the house. So, I'm glad that I managed to sell it three years ago and I know what it feels like when the whole basement is full of water, you can't open the doors of your car in the deep-level garage because it stands 60 cm in the water and from the stairs you watch the freezer drifting past.
Now I live in plain northern Saxony where clouds don't shed their moisture for many hours like in mountainous regions. That's a major advantage and difference. Yet I'm not saying that there are no risks here. Our underground garage can get flooded, too, but so far the water was just 10cm high once after a thunderstorm and no damage caused.
The other risk is indeed ground water and the fact that former mines and particularly the filled up ground are still somehow active. The lake I live by used to be an open-cast lignite mine being up to 50m deep, where, BTW, a dead body was once again found by divers these days. It had been floating in the lake since March, a 49 y.o. man from southern Saxony whose canoe had apparently overturned. "My" lake is one of six others two of which were just about to be linked so that boats can go from one lake to the next. Connecting at least three lakes or even four is the goal but now they're having second thoughts about it because cracks have emerged in the connecting canal and two lakes were closed to the public. In an emergency operation those cracks were mended but if that repair doesn't hold, one lake may pour into the lower one and both will finally submerge half of the town but presumably not the part where I live. That's the worst case scenario.
I've been told that my house seems to stand on solid native ground, though, but as said, ground water may get in. That's why our underground car park has been designed as a non-permeable reinforced steel structure underground (White Basin) but still there are some leaks as it seems due to slipshod work. My lake is ca 5-8 meters lower than our line of houses and I hope it will spill over to other areas that are lower if anything disastrous happens.
In sum, there's not much I can do to prepare myself than hope for the best and pray.

Here you can see the lake from the less frequented, less cultivated side. It's 4km long from here.
Lake1.jpg

Here you can see my/our houses and you'll notice that they are higher than the lake. Lake2.jpg
You can see the eastern beach with restaurants, beer garden, shops, and the marina. There are also sandy beaches in the north for the youth with music, lounges, etc.
I wanted to upload a video but it's too large...:(
 
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Gotta love the Poms (Brits). Jessica no offense.

In Australia 33c is seen as a mild summer's day. Wanna feel heatwave conditions.. try 38c-44c which Sydney has been having over past few years in mid summer.
 
Your are right, mate. Torrential rain has now hit south-east Saxony and southern Bavaria both of which are mountainous regions. There's flooding and devastation but no one got killed AFAIK. The death toll in west Germany is now amounting to at least 153.
I live about 150km or more away from the scene in south-east Saxony. In southern Saxony, where I had to live during my working life, my house was flooded several times due to thunderstorms and the unfavourable location of the house. So, I'm glad that I managed to sell it three years ago and I know what it feels like when the whole basement is full of water, you can't open the doors of your car in the deep-level garage because it stands 60 cm in the water and from the stairs you watch the freezer drifting past.
Now I live in plain northern Saxony where clouds don't shed their moisture for many hours like in mountainous regions. That's a major advantage and difference. Yet I'm not saying that there are no risks here. Our underground garage can get flooded, too, but so far the water was just 10cm high once after a thunderstorm and no damage caused.
The other risk is indeed ground water and the fact that former mines and particularly the filled up ground are still somehow active. The lake I live by used to be an open-cast lignite mine being up to 50m deep, where, BTW, a dead body was once again found by divers these days. It had been floating in the lake since March, a 49 y.o. man from southern Saxony whose canoe had apparently overturned. "My" lake is one of six others two of which were just about to be linked so that boats can go from one lake to the next. Connecting at least three lakes or even four is the goal but now they're having second thoughts about it because cracks have emerged in the connecting canal and two lakes were closed to the public. In an emergency operation those cracks were mended but if that repair doesn't hold, one lake may pour into the lower one and both will finally submerge half of the town but presumably not the part where I live. That's the worst case scenario.
I've been told that my house seems to stand on solid native ground, though, but as said ground water may get in. That's why our underground car park has been designed as a non-permeable reinforced steel structure underground (White Basin) but still there are some leaks as it seems due to slipshod work. My lake is ca 5-8 meters lower than our line of houses and I hope it will spill over to other areas that are lower if anything disastrous happens.
In sum, there's not much I can do to prepare myself than hope for the best and pray.

Here you can see the lake from the less frequented, less cultivated side. It's 4km long from here.
View attachment 1269

Here you can see my/our houses and you'll notice that they are higher than the lake.View attachment 1270
You can see the eastern beach with restaurants, beer garden, shops, and the marina. There are also sandy beaches in the north for the youth with music, lounges, etc.
I wanted to upload a video but it's too large...:(
Terrific explanation Thomas. Yes you do look safe from any flooding from the lake. Beautiful spot you live in mate. Are those apartment blocks or large houses? I suppose you spend plenty of time out on the lake fishing and other water past times.
 
Terrific explanation Thomas. Yes you do look safe from any flooding from the lake. Beautiful spot you live in mate. Are those apartment blocks or large houses? I suppose you spend plenty of time out on the lake fishing and other water past times.
Thanks, Richie. Those are three-storey condos the top floor always being a penthouse. Yes, I enjoy the scenery and the clean, almost maritime air when jogging, cycling, swimming, and renting a boat or a water bicycle.
 
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Gotta love the Poms (Brits). Jessica no offense.

In Australia 33c is seen as a mild summer's day. Wanna feel heatwave conditions.. try 38c-44c which Sydney has been having over past few years in mid summer.
No offense taken Richie 😆
I find 25c too hot 🥵 I really don't know how you guys and girls cope with your heat.
Brits on the other hand can handle minus freezing conditions 🥶 I can imagine you guys would be chilled to the bone and frozen stiff if you had to endure a freezing winter here 🤗
 
Your are right, mate. Torrential rain has now hit south-east Saxony and southern Bavaria both of which are mountainous regions. There's flooding and devastation but no one got killed AFAIK. The death toll in west Germany is now amounting to at least 153.
I live about 150km or more away from the scene in south-east Saxony. In southern Saxony, where I had to live during my working life, my house was flooded several times due to thunderstorms and the unfavourable location of the house. So, I'm glad that I managed to sell it three years ago and I know what it feels like when the whole basement is full of water, you can't open the doors of your car in the deep-level garage because it stands 60 cm in the water and from the stairs you watch the freezer drifting past.
Now I live in plain northern Saxony where clouds don't shed their moisture for many hours like in mountainous regions. That's a major advantage and difference. Yet I'm not saying that there are no risks here. Our underground garage can get flooded, too, but so far the water was just 10cm high once after a thunderstorm and no damage caused.
The other risk is indeed ground water and the fact that former mines and particularly the filled up ground are still somehow active. The lake I live by used to be an open-cast lignite mine being up to 50m deep, where, BTW, a dead body was once again found by divers these days. It had been floating in the lake since March, a 49 y.o. man from southern Saxony whose canoe had apparently overturned. "My" lake is one of six others two of which were just about to be linked so that boats can go from one lake to the next. Connecting at least three lakes or even four is the goal but now they're having second thoughts about it because cracks have emerged in the connecting canal and two lakes were closed to the public. In an emergency operation those cracks were mended but if that repair doesn't hold, one lake may pour into the lower one and both will finally submerge half of the town but presumably not the part where I live. That's the worst case scenario.
I've been told that my house seems to stand on solid native ground, though, but as said, ground water may get in. That's why our underground car park has been designed as a non-permeable reinforced steel structure underground (White Basin) but still there are some leaks as it seems due to slipshod work. My lake is ca 5-8 meters lower than our line of houses and I hope it will spill over to other areas that are lower if anything disastrous happens.
In sum, there's not much I can do to prepare myself than hope for the best and pray.

Here you can see the lake from the less frequented, less cultivated side. It's 4km long from here.
View attachment 1269

Here you can see my/our houses and you'll notice that they are higher than the lake.View attachment 1270
You can see the eastern beach with restaurants, beer garden, shops, and the marina. There are also sandy beaches in the north for the youth with music, lounges, etc.
I wanted to upload a video but it's too large...:(
Hope you and your family stay safe Thomas 🤗
In better conditions I bet that lake is beautiful to sit by and have a picnic.
I've seen on our news the devastating floods you guys are having, I saw a young guy climbing up onto the roof of his house. So much suffering in the world, heartbreaking.
 
Hope you and your family stay safe Thomas 🤗
In better conditions I bet that lake is beautiful to sit by and have a picnic.
I've seen on our news the devastating floods you guys are having, I saw a young guy climbing up onto the roof of his house. So much suffering in the world, heartbreaking.
Thanks for caring, Jessica. England has also had its share of floods as I remember. The number of people killed and that of houses collapsed is unprecedented both here and there.
 
No offense taken Richie 😆
I find 25c too hot 🥵 I really don't know how you guys and girls cope with your heat.
Brits on the other hand can handle minus freezing conditions 🥶 I can imagine you guys would be chilled to the bone and frozen stiff if you had to endure a freezing winter here 🤗
Yep. I dislike the cold as you dislike the heat Jess. 'chilled to the bone' oh yes. London, winter 1980.. had two singlets a shirt two sweaters/track tops and an anorak and was still cold when I had to venture outdoors. 🥶
footnote to my above post.. A decade ago 33c was a warm summer's day for us with 27/28c the average.. but Global Warming has changed that
 
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Yep. I dislike the cold as you dislike the heat Jess. 'chilled to the bone' oh yes. London, winter 1980.. had two singlets a shirt two sweaters/track tops and an anorak and was still cold when I had to venture outdoors. 🥶
footnote to my above post.. A decade ago 33c was a warm summer's day for us with 27/28c the average.. but Global Warming has changed that

It's about 28c here at the min 🥵😆

That's wise Richie with your layers of clothing, we are advised to layer up so the heat gets trapped between each layer, I have a hi Viz bomber jacket that I wear in the winter while at work, during our heatwave 🥵I wear a hi Vis polo shirt 😆
 
Thanks for caring, Jessica. England has also had its share of floods as I remember. The number of people killed and that of houses collapsed is unprecedented both here and there.
Yeah it can be pretty bad here too, thankfully living where I live now we don't have floods, it was bad enough when water pipes burst in my old area, water was gushing up all over the place and the roads were flooded. I saw on the news that China now have floods and one poor woman was dramatically rescued at the last minute.
 
I saw on the news that China now have floods and one poor woman was dramatically rescued at the last minute.
People drowned in a submerged train carriage Jess. Hard to imagine that happening. Thomas have those rains stopped in the east?
 
Thomas have those rains stopped in the east?
Yes, they have. Since there's no TV report anymore I assume things are getting back to normal there. More damage in Bavaria and , of course, way more in the west.
More than 170 killed now and more than a hundred still missing. 63 bridges got demolished and there won't be drinking water for months but there's oil- and chemical-contaminated soil and mud. Rebuilding the infrastructure including hospitals, telecommunication, hundreds of kilometers of rails and roads, shops and companies and two dams will take a decade, so they say. The next heavy thunderstorms are said to be hitting the region at the weekend.
 
Yes, they have. Since there's no TV report anymore I assume things are getting back to normal there. More damage in Bavaria and , of course, way more in the west.
More than 170 killed now and more than a hundred still missing. 63 bridges got demolished and there won't be drinking water for months but there's oil- and chemical-contaminated soil and mud. Rebuilding the infrastructure including hospitals, telecommunication, hundreds of kilometers of rails and roads, shops and companies and two dams will take a decade, so they say. The next heavy thunderstorms are said to be hitting the region at the weekend.
Wow that was some storm. Feeling for the dead and missing. Hard to imagine all those casualties in a first world nation to be honest mate.
 
Had some bad news about my oldest dog Bubbles. He has spinal trouble and has lost use of both his hind legs
 
Had some bad news about my oldest dog Bubbles. He has spinal trouble and has lost use of both his hind legs
This is extremely sad news, I'm sorry for you Richie, I had a dog with similar problem, I did the kindest thing and I hope you have the strength to do the same when time is right.

I just popped on to tell you guys that we've had flash floods here, my garden and gutters/drains took a battering.
 
Had some bad news about my oldest dog Bubbles. He has spinal trouble and has lost use of both his hind legs

I'm sorry to hear that, mate. Is there a chance of curing it? :(


I just popped on to tell you guys that we've had flash floods here, my garden and gutters/drains took a battering.
Bad news from you as well, Jessica. This is what lots of people in Europe and elsewhere need to be prepared for just because thunderstorms are getting more and more dangerous due to the atmosphere being more energy-rich than it used to be when we were young.
 
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