RISK OF FLOODING!

 Yesterday I was helping my daughter and son in law move into there new home so it never was going to be an ordinary day. Up, just after 6am, we all worked really hard and by lunch time we were already waiting for the keys to their new new house.

We knew that a tidal surge was forecast for the east coast so throughout the day we kept a close eye on the environmental website as we began to help them move in and unpack.

After a busy day like that I was keen to get home, eat some dinner and relax but as we tucked into our fish and chips the phone rang. The recorded message from the environment agency advised us of a severe flood warning. Our first thought to be honest was "really!!" We sat there, not sure what to do at first. Then I looked around and saw the photos of our grandchildren on the low table and before long Michael and I were moving small objects and items we could move easily upstairs.

We still weren't sure if we were over reacting but the knock on the door and the warning from the policeman advising us to prepare for evacuation made us realise we were doing the right thing.

Our thoughts swung from should we stay or should we go and if the flooding was effecting other parts of the country, I would be the first person to be watching the news and saying, "why don't these people just go!"

But, believe me when you're put in that situation, it's not so easy.

So we stacked up the furniture on books, lifted as much as we possibly could to a higher level, even tied up the curtains and waited. 

This was our lounge at 1am this morning.

I took water, biscuits, candles, matches and welly boots upstairs and we listened to the excellent coverage on the BBC local news. Then, even when the tide had started to ebb and it appeared that the waters hadn't breached the seawall it was so hard to sleep. Probably the continual cups of tea we'd been drinking didn't help that!

We were so lucky, although I know people further up the coast were affected by the flood water. 

My hat goes off to the wonderful job the emergency services and the environmental agency did over night. We couldn't have been looked after better!

A little bit of news from earlier this week. On Monday I met a friend at RHS Hyde Hall and we had a lovely walk around the gardens and a nice lunch.

I thought these grasses looked beautiful and stood out against a rather grey murky day.

I have also been having a sock issue this week. I don't know how it happened but my markers ended up in the wrong place when I was completing the toe of the sock to match this one. 3 times, I had to undo it and restart it. I really thought I would have to start  the whole sock all over again at one point but eventually it all came together and now is finished. I'm just knitting a little bag to put them in.