Ken says: "In the town centre, the Market Place, Wrawby Street, and so on, there's a definite bad odour that, on occasions, is emitted from the street drains. The odour, typically the rotten cabbage smell, tends to be randomly localised to a particular drain.
There is some suggestion that the street drainage system, owing to the high water table, lacks 'U' bends that would otherwise trap the foul-smelling gases in the pipes. Consequently, a flush of rain can force the odour to the surface to annoy passers-by.
Alternatively, an atmospherically low air pressure, such as that related to a period of warm, dry sunny weather can encourage the comparatively denser, but smelly gases to wriggle through the drain grating.
Many apologies to Ken that we failed to post (on time) another interesting message he sent us which should have gone on Brigg Blog at 00:01 hrs on Thursday morning. We are going to share its contents anyway...
About the time when Brigg market traders are packing away their goods ready for the off; about the time when local school children are preparing to snake their way home, at 3.21pm, a world-wide astronomical phenomenon will occur.
On Thursday, 22nd September, the astronomical Equinox (from Latin.. Equi = equal... nox = night) will happen at 2.21pm GMT, or 3.21pm BST, as displayed on watches and clocks.
Give a thought while having a mid-afternoon latte in one of Brigg's many refreshment outlets that the Earth has completed yet another annual cycle and from the local time of 3.21pm, (UK) days will become comparably and progressive shorter than the increasing nightime hours.
But experience will tell us that such a progression is not everlasting...from the Winter Soltice, Wednesday, 21st December...just in time from Christmas, nightime hours will be progressively eroded to return the Equinox back to an equilibrium in late March, 2017....only 6 months away.
In the Southern Hemisphere, folks will be celebrating 22nd Semptember as their astronomical Spring, or Vernal Equinox..a date from which their nights become shorter.
One can't beat the balance of nature, or the heavens.
