The aftermath of the floods (click) we experienced in Norbiton part of Kingston upon Thames, has not been as great as others in the UK. many homes and businesses have lost everything they own, as the flood waters entered their premises, especially in the counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. After receiving one months rain in a couple of hours, the infrastructure, the drainage systems could not cope.

Here in Norbiton, yes we had the roads flooded, but the water soon disappeared, and transport got back to normal as if nothing had happened. A few premises were flooded in the area, but for us in Norbiton Hall, (click to read history), our communal boiler room, that heats all the 192 flats hot water needs, was flooded.

The boiler room is underground, and the site manager David Flynn told me that the room was flooded to waist deep. I suspect that means that all the electrics, the controls will have been damaged, perhaps the fuel supply will have been contaminated, and the boiler no longer works, therefore we will have no hot water for days.

OK, no big deal, who needs hot water? But how do we wash or take a shower?

Cold water? Yes. But this is cold, cold water, sorry too cold for me. The UK is not a tropical island, or Malaysia, Turkey or Greece, sunning themselves in temperatures near 40 degrees. There it is great to have a cold shower.

The British culture still has the concept of baths. Long tubs in which we lay down and soak ourselves for a longtime. 

                                                           Our bath

Back in 1980 I brought a new house in Peterborough, and I had to request, and pay extra, to have a shower mixer placed in the bath, and have extra tiles placed on the walls in the bathroom. I think this is still the case today with new builds.

At least we have a bath tub in the flat. So it has been a matter of boiling pots, saucepans and kettles to heat water to have a wash and bath. A very time consuming method.

It reminded me of my childhood.

In those days we had never heard of showers, we just had baths, or as the Americans say "hot tubs". In many cases the bath was a tin tub which was hung outside the house, and brought inside once a week, placed in front of the open coal fire of the sitting or living room, and filed by hand with hot water. 

                                                                    Old tin bath

It was often the case, where the head of the household, the father would have his bath, he would get out, mother would get in, followed by the children. The water was shared.

To heat the water took a long time and was costly in fuel. There were no electric emmersion heaters, gas or oil boilers, just kettles.

We were lucky, when I was a child, we had a fitted bathroom.

I remember at one time having to share the bath water, and another time where I was told not to have the water higher than my ankle. It was too expensive to heat water.

We would wash every day, but with a flannel, a small square cloth, soaping ourselves, then wiping ourselves off.

So today we had to boil water in the kitchen, and carry it to the bathroom to have a bath. The process took an hour, to sit in water, just above ankle depth, and to wash off the soap suds in bath water.

It is at times like this that you appreciate what we have, and remember those who are worse of than ourselves.