Before I moved in here, it was explained to me that the owners put some salty thing in the water supply to soften it. Ah good, I thought, no more crunchy tea. I habitually leave the last half inch in a cup of tea after to avoid getting a gobful of limescale. I didn't really think more about it, but did notice on occasion that my shower tasted like the sea. Not that I habitually drink the shower, but you know. And then one day I made a cup of tea that was so salty I spat it out. So I would run the tap and put water across my tongue before filling the kettle, to make sure it was ok. I kind of got used to the faint tang. Being quite the salt lover it actually didn't bother me that much.
And then the hot weather came and my feet and ankles swelled up. I could no longer see the bones of my feet. While in Paris the swelling went down, and it came back when I returned.
By this point I had done a bulk order of bottled water from Delhaize. But it was due to arrive on Saturday which meant using the water supply till then. (Yes, I could have gone out, but it's the Gentse Feesten and I get weird in crowds. Even weirder than normal.) Now that I'd thought about the water, it was unbearably, if only subtly, salty. And the salt made me thirsty, which made me want to drink the only water available, which was salty. Now you see how the madness sets in.
So now there are lots of bottles of clean, nice, lovely water. And it's weird how careful you become with it when the quantity is visible. I'm using it for drinks and to cook. Not to shower, obviously. I'm not like Demi Moore or something.
Feet are starting to subside again, although cramp in the top of the foot is not a nice sensation. It does set me wondering: my asthma and the back of head bastard itchy eczema thing started after I moved in here. I may well have been slowly poisoning myself with some salty chemical shite.
We have a water softener and I remember reading that we shouldn't use it for boiling. Luckily we can get large 20 litre water bottles delivered. The dog drinks it though , must check his ankles, he prefers the swimming pool water so he must like the taste of chlorine
ReplyDeleteWe only drink bottled water due to the high levels of lime (called 'cal' here) which makes tea crunchy - yeuk. The local people get kidney stones. There's a connection for anyone who wants to make it. In a nearby village, the water's been turned off because the nitrate level is so high in it. But no alternative has been provided...We're all a bit daft about water. I hope this proves to be an answer to the asthma and eczema and you can be free of both. Ax
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