Another update later than I would like. Early last week the area where we live was warned that there was prolonged rain on its way. This isn’t particularly unusual and the locals will tell you this is the reason it’s so green and fresh around these parts.
In any case we went out in the rain for our early morning walk on Wednesday. It had started raining on Tuesday night so we knew we were going to get a little damp on our stroll around town. Returning home, Lenny and I were duly towelled down and we took breakfast in the utility room. After this we retired to our favourite lazing around beds and awaited the break in the weather so we could be ushered outside for our calls of nature. Hours passed and the break was nowhere to be seen. We went out quickly in any case and were duly towelled down again upon our return. The rain continued. Each time we looked out of the windows we could see that the river flowing through the meadow to the front of our house was rising. This didn’t cause us too much concern as we know there is flood plain surrounding the river and this would keep us safe from the water of the rising river.
Then the river broke its banks and started to flood the field, gradually moving across toward the house. The sheep who were grazing the field in the morning had been moved to another field, higher up and out of harms way.
Then we had a break in the rain and went out into the garden to have a quick break. The water from the fields behind the house were washing the contents of the clouds down toward the house, through the retaining wall, onto the patio and into the central heating plant room of our house. Lenny and I were duly placed back inside whilst drains were opened and baling out of the plant room was taken care of. With the help of one of our friends, we managed to drain the water and it then started raining again. And boy did it rain, for a few hours constantly, all the while filling up the patio and re-flooding the plant room. The drain holes were barely coping so storm drains were opened to try and remove as much as the water as possible. The retaining wall became a water feature, a garden fountain spouting the rainy contents of the field onto the patio. It was of course a water feature that wasn’t wanted or needed. We could hear the water rushing over the front of our garden and into the small lane leading toward the river. Then, around 10 pm, it stopped raining. There was silence apart from the continuing streams of rain water rushing off the fields and onto the patio.
Thursday morning arrived and we feared the worst. Venturing outside the inspect the likely destruction we were greeted with weak sunshine and the plant room moist but not flooded. The flooding from the river had covered the field and turned it into a giant duck pond. The lane was passable so it was decided to have a road walk. We strolled across the bridge toward the town and the river had flooded the entire field, small picnic carpark and almost into surrounding streets.
Our walk was shortened as we heard that the local nature reserve had also suffered significant flooding. For the rest of the day we walked around the garden and thanked our lucky stars that we live a little way above the flood plain that caught all of the water.
We won’t get flooded from the river but we are taking steps to try and make sure we don’t get flooded from the fields.
A salutary tale. Stay safe everyone
Dexter 