About Me

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Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom
Born in the year of the Coronation, I'm a Baby Boomer. In April of this year I decided I too would have a Diamond Jubilee celebration and completely change my life and that of my Husband's in the process

Monday 23 July 2007

Clearing Up.

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Above is the sight that greeted me Saturday morning.

Its Monday afternoon now and all is quiet here, the brook is back where it should be and the chickens are safe, for the time being in their house. Their house had to be retrieved from 2 doors away where it was in the middle of a sort of ‘Log Jam’ of trampolines, next door’s Wendy House and numerous 6 foot Larchlap fencing panels.

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A quick check of our garden showed we had gained a heavy wooden shed base, ; 0706210023 

 a large canoe, a golf bag, complete with balls, various beach balls, a greenhouse heater, fencing panels, 0706210018

plastic flower pots and a family sized paddling pool plus a ride-on child’s army jeep.

Everything is coated in mud 0706210014

and the lawn really shouldn’t be walked on, you just sink through it. Unfortunately, it was necessary to walk on it while we set the chickens up with a home again. As part of the lawn is a very steep slope ,the inevitable was bound to happen. Oh no! Not an earthquake on top of everything else…… No, just me going down on my ample backside!

Saturday afternoon we went to have a look at Hylton Road, where the BBC Studios are. The temporary flood barriers should have been erected here but the Environment Agency didn’t get them in place on time. I don’t know that they would have held this amount of water back but for the people living there, who have now been flooded out yet again, it would have been good to try! I'm sure that's what these poor people, who were just evacuating their homes thought

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If Friday night was surreal with the Mayor and Leader of the Council walking through my kitchen, (thankfully its not an old house with a back passage, that could have made another news story entirely), then Saturday night was bizarre!!

Again I was cooking the dinner, when the phone rang. I answered it and it was somebody called Chris Vallance from BBC Five Live. He said he’d seen my Blog and could they have a Live interview from either me or Mike. I volunteered Mike, as that’s what he does best, well it’s the only thing really. He also wanted to use a photo of mine on their website. I had no objection to that and here’s a link to it. BBC Five Live

Mike did the interview and then the phone rang again. This time it was BBC 24’s Betty Redondo. I passed her on to Mike and he ended up doing another Live interview. They used one of my photos on screen while they were talking to him, which was exciting. Think I might have to start a career as a News Photographer.

There hasn’t been much to laugh about but yesterday I had to admire the fortitude of Anita Woodhouse, who did the most sterling job of reading out all the road closures on BBC Hereford and Worcester, for hours on end. Not once did she crack when she read ‘and in Upton Upon Severn, Minge Lane is only accessible from the bottom entrance’

The forecast is for more rain, I hope it isn’t going to be much. I realise how very lucky we have been compared with so many people who are having the most miserable time, many without, homes, water or electricity. No matter how lucky I might have been it still doesn’t alter the fear a massive body of water, rushing passed your house generates. The knowledge that there is nothing you can do against this unstoppable force, other than just hope for the best is mind altering.

PS.

I didn't have time to upload this before now but this short clip gives some idea of the force of the water. It was just a short distance away from our house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV8GdO9NFh4

 

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Linda since your entry on Friday I have been thinking about you ,so very pleased it didnt get any worse though what you show is bad enough ,,great that they used your pictures,but not the way you wanted to get fame ,those posts showed the enormaty of it ,I hope it gets better for you and so many others ,its like a horror movie ..love Jan xx

Anonymous said...

I'm really feeling for you at the moment but I have to agree with you in admiration for Anita Woodhouse. Hoping recovery is as quick as possible, sometimes the forces of nature is so frightening

Anonymous said...

I am sorry that you are now famous for such an awful thing!!!  The flooding is just horrendous!  But your pics really do capture it well!

be well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/

Anonymous said...

I still am reeling with the devastation.  Your video of the floods then led me to Isabella laughing.  Ahhh.  I think you are going to have to move that chicken house for good.  I am glad you are ok though and hope things dry out quickly for you.  Hugs, Terry x

Anonymous said...

Linda, since your first entry about the floods I have followed the news and even got a map and looked up where you are.  The devastation caused by the floods has made the news here every day! It's not the ideal way to spend your summer holidays is it??? I really do hope that the water begins to subside soon and you can start to get things cleaned up and back to normal (yeah, great way to spend your down time!!!) As for the chickens - I think you should name the next one Sainsbury - in honour of the life/chicken saving device they provided!!!!  ROFLMAO.....

Hoping all your days are dry ones...

Hugs

Wendy in Oz

Anonymous said...

i am so glad all are ok:) i hope you start to dry out soon

Deb

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I tried to post to this but am new to this and don't think it Took.
Anyway this is kind of surreal, you see My Name is Linda, also known as Lin and I too was born in 1953. I currently live in Tiburon California but am a Worcester girl and coming home in August. I was looking for info. on the floods at home and pulled You Up. It was like the "Twilight Zone" Like I was reading about Me LOL
Lin

Anonymous said...

Looking at some of the newscasts is like looking at a third world disaster zone, I feel shocked and stunned by what is happening with our weather. So glad they predicted a long hot dry summer just wondering when it's going to start.
Debbie
xxx

Anonymous said...

What a nightmare ~ I do hope the worst is over for you ~ your pictures were great and well worth being viewed on TV ~ Ally x
http://journals.aol.co.uk/ally123130585918/Lifewithally

Anonymous said...

I think I would have been having a royal panic attack if that was me!  I am so relieved to know that you and yours are all safe and sound!  Mike, the new on the spot reporter!  Well done, Mike!  Your poor chickens are probably wondering what in the world is going on!

Much Love,
Susie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/susanebunn/ItAllStartsAfter50/

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry, you must feel totally defeated by all the mess the flood has left, but at least the chickens are safe.  We had bad floods in Northampton a few years ago and it took months for people to get back in their homes.  I can't imagine how those poor people near you feel about being flooded again, especially when prompt action could perhaps have avoided or reduced the damage.

Anonymous said...

We have been up to the worcester/ hereford area over the last month looking at pubs, one we looked was at Holt Fleet, next to the river Severn, near Ombersley, I can only imagine what that must look like now as it was flooded a few weeks ago, glad we decided to give it a miss.
We had the same sort of weather three years ago, where everywhere else in europe had a fantastic summer and we had nothing but cold and rain, it really does make us feel like upping sticks and going abroad, bloody weather.
We have been very lucky, on that Friday Ciaran and I stayed snuggled on the sofa listening to the awful rain and thunder, I hope you get everything cleared up
Kerry

Anonymous said...

Oh Linda, you crack me up, how you can laugh at a time like this. I nearly PMP  at Minge lanes, bottom entrance LOLOLOLOL OMG too funny!
I hope you don't mind, but I am going to link your blog to one of my readers in the US, that sent me a sweet note to ask if I was ok.
Gaz xxxxxx

Anonymous said...

Gaz, sent me the link to your blog and I must say, you all have ha quite a rough way to go lately.  I hope all gets better sooner for you all.

Anonymous said...

in town there is a back alley called winkle street!!Loks like christmas has come then and maybe the canoe will come in handy!Well i hope you dry up soon.Beckie xx

Anonymous said...

My lord - how crazy has it been? We think we're this advanced nation, and all it takes is 23 hours of hard rain to takeus back 100 years.

There was still water pouring out from underneath my neighbours front door - and that was 7 days on......

Couldn't park yesterday for TV OB vans - 8 I think I counted, all wanting pictures as our town still picks up the pieces. It was horrible - they act like vultures (literally in this case as now there's 3 dead). Thing is it'll all get forgotten, little money will be spent as something else comes along more worthy. Then suddenly it will hit again in a few years. We could always sell it as the ulitmate surfing holiday - looks like you've got a good bit of surf in your road!