For the last few days, it has been raining intermittently but strongly at Gamone. Even the Cournouze mountain has a drenched look, and the Bourne River has overflowed harmlessly, as usual, at Pont-en-Royans.
Around midday, I couldn't understand why
Sophia insisted on going out into the rain, in front of the house, and barking regularly, as if there were a vehicle coming up towards the house. As soon as the rain eased down, I went out to see what was troubling my dog. Once outside, I heard a regular whirring sound, and I expected to see an approaching vehicle. Suddenly I realized that it was the sound, not of a vehicle, but of rushing water in
Gamone Creek. So I wandered down there (fifty meters below the house) to take a closer look. As for Sophia, she calmed down as soon as she understood the cause of the noise of the phantom vehicle.
Gamone Creek is what they call a
torrent, in that it only flows when it's draining off rainwater from up on the slopes. And since the catchment area above Gamone is not extensive, the torrent is only active for short periods, several times a year... which explains why Sophia was unaccustomed to the noise of rushing water. Although I've never been outside at exactly the right moment to see and hear such a phenomenon, I believe that "packets" of water arrive here punctually, maybe twenty minutes or so after heavy showers further up on the slopes. So I suppose it's the sudden noise of rushing water that disturbs Sophia from time to time.
On my father's bush property outside South Grafton, a small waterway, rarely running, was nevertheless called Deep Creek. I'm happy to have a similar kind of creek at Gamone.
Around midday, I couldn't understand why Sophia insisted on going out into the rain, in front of the house, and barking regularly, as if there were a vehicle coming up towards the house. As soon as the rain eased down, I went out to see what was troubling my dog. Once outside, I heard a regular whirring sound, and I expected to see an approaching vehicle. Suddenly I realized that it was the sound, not of a vehicle, but of rushing water in Gamone Creek. So I wandered down there (fifty meters below the house) to take a closer look. As for Sophia, she calmed down as soon as she understood the cause of the noise of the phantom vehicle.
Gamone Creek is what they call a torrent, in that it only flows when it's draining off rainwater from up on the slopes. And since the catchment area above Gamone is not extensive, the torrent is only active for short periods, several times a year... which explains why Sophia was unaccustomed to the noise of rushing water. Although I've never been outside at exactly the right moment to see and hear such a phenomenon, I believe that "packets" of water arrive here punctually, maybe twenty minutes or so after heavy showers further up on the slopes. So I suppose it's the sudden noise of rushing water that disturbs Sophia from time to time.
On my father's bush property outside South Grafton, a small waterway, rarely running, was nevertheless called Deep Creek. I'm happy to have a similar kind of creek at Gamone.
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