There is a saying, " Be careful what you ask for or you just might get it." Without thinking too much about it, we wished that the huge clock in the tower attached to the house, would stop it's incessant chiming. All we wanted was a little quiet.
We do get our wish. Next time we will be more specific in what we ask for. Along with this cessation of chime, comes continuous rain, lightning and the loudest rolling thunder I have ever heard. Each sound reverberates through our huge villa, first as a loud rolling roar, then a crashing sound, like bomb has dropped on the tile roof. Of course the power fails in the village and the clock stops.
The storm lasts for 2 1/2days causing the biggest flood in the area since the early fifties. Fortunately for us our villa is on the top of the hill and it does not flood, or leak. St. Siffret too receives little damage.
However, elsewhere in the surrounding region roads are washed out, homes, trees, bridges etc are swept away. Sadly, more than twenty-five people are killed.
We had arrived in St. Siffret on Saturday night and had eaten out. Sunday the stores are not open so we cannot shop for groceries. In the pounding rain, we drive to Ezes, the main town, 5 Kilometers away. Here we have a delicious lunch and try to wait out the storm. Finally as the roads outside turn into torrents we decide we had better leave. We barely make it home.
Already one of the two routes back to our village is closed due to this inundation. Our neighbors, we learned later, were not so lucky. They had also gone to Ezes but stayed too long and all routes were then closed. One group spent the night in a church priory, the others in private homes in Ezes.
Water, Bread and Wine
Because we were not able to shop for food since we arrived, our larder was empty. Julie, Peter and Wayne drive to two restaurants in town, which are flooded and closed, and the Chateau in St Maximin that is two minutes away. They knock on doors and beg to buy food. They sell us wine, bread and water. This becomes dinner, a candlelit one at that. We do find some olive oil and vinegar in which to dip the bread.
The next day Wayne, Peter and Julie manage to get to Ezes. Donna and I stay at the villa, which still has no power or food. Fortunately it is not too cold, but we would both kill for a cup of coffee.
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