Floods

May Musings On A Friday

~ beetleypete ~ 37 Comments

Change of day this week, as I won’t be around on the blog from Friday evening until Tuesday next week. (Possibly Monday, not sure yet) So I will not be reading or commenting on your posts, and not posting anything at all on my blog.

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The heavy rain this week has caused some localised flooding. Beetley Meadows was flooded all along the riverbank path and up to (and under) the nearby seating and benches. I had a very damp walk on Thursday as a result, but at least it wasn’t raining when I was outside.

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On Wednesday evening we had a break from cooking and drove to a local pub to eat. Darby’s is in the larger village of Swanton Morley, just under three miles east. We had been there quite a few times in the past, but changes of ownership also changed the food on offer, so we stopped going. Then Julie found out it was once again under new owners, so we gave it a try. And we were glad we did. The food was first-class, We both chose the pork belly main course, and were exceptionally pleased with the quality and portion sizes. If you are ever in the area, you should try it. Booking might be essential at weekends though. It dates from 1988, when the current building was converted from two 18th century cottages, and tastefully decorated in a traditional style. https://darbys-pub.co.uk/

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I will let you next week know where I have been over the weekend. I hope you all have a peaceful and enjoyable time during my absence.

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Late October Sunday Musings

~ beetleypete ~ 53 Comments

This week has been all about Storm Babet. (The official name for it, not mine) Months of rainfall landed across the UK and Ireland in a matter of hours, accompanied by strong winds. People have died as a result, hundreds have been flooded out of their homes, trees have fallen, and road and rail services severely disrupted. We have been comparatively lucky in Beetley, with the local river bursting its banks and flooding sections of Beetley Meadows where I walk Ollie. So far, no houses have been affected here, and nobody has been injured. The severe weather warning was in force until midnight on Saturday, and it is still raining across much of the country though it has now stopped in Beetley.

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Ollie ignored the flood waters, even stopping to drink from them before happily walking through them up to his belly. He is still sleeping the days (and nights) away but seems happy enough. (Snoring loudly next to me as I am typing this)

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Julie had her Covid booster on Friday and reports no adverse affects at all, not even a sore arm. Lucky her.

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As a result of the storm and low cloud cover, it has felt like night most of the time. I had to put house lights on at 8am yesterday as it was still too dark to make a cup of tea. It is being reported that the ‘unprecedented’ October rain, especially in Scotland, is a direct result of accelerated global warming. No arguments from me about that.

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Have a happy Sunday, and I hope it isn’t raining where you are.

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A Semi-Aquatic Dog Walk

~ beetleypete ~ 40 Comments

I waited until the rain I wrote about yesterday had finally stopped, then set out with Ollie in bright sunshine. I was aiming for Beetley Meadows as usual, but soon discovered that around 40% of our usual walking area was under water.

This is definitely the worst I have seen it since moving here, a legacy of the rain that almost drove me insane over the previous 28 hours.

The seats of the picnic benches were submerged, and the water had not just burst the banks, the river was actually flowing at some speed in areas where we walk every single day. In the livestock field beyond, it was spreading almost as far as the busy Holt Road in the distance. Fortunately, there were no grazing animals there.

Ollie splashed happily through the freezing muddy water, but as I followed him I realised that it might well come over the top of my boots, and I was forced to retrace my steps. I decided to head across to Hoe Rough, which is slightly higher ground. Our arrival there coincided with a sudden hailstorm, which turned Ollie’s back white in seconds, and was hammering against the canopy of my umbrella.

It turned out that not only was Hoe Rough just as badly off for flooding on the north side next to the river, but some of the larger ‘puddles’ along the main path were also too deep for my knee-length boots. Some old trees had fallen too, the roots washed away by the flood waters. I may have to invest in some fisherman’s waders!

The second hailstorm that arrived was more than I could take, so we headed home. I had to take Ollie along the path beside Fakenham Road to avoid more standing water.

And even after using all four of his special dog-towels to dry him off, he is still damp to the touch.

We have an Atlantic storm arriving on the 26th. They say we will have ‘heavy downpours’ along with winds up to 80 mph.

At least tomorrow is forecast to be dry.

Day Fourteen

~ beetleypete ~ 66 Comments

Today is the fourteenth day of rain in Beetley. For two weeks, day and night, it has been raining. The forecast for today was ‘sunny periods and showers’. That translated to rain all day, sometimes torrential, even during the brief periods of sunshine.

The outbuilding (brick-built shed) has flooded, due to groundwater seeping through the concrete floor. I don’t feel well enough to tackle it, so have created a ‘dam’ using old towels and blankets, hoping to stop the water shorting out the two freezers and the tumble-drier that are kept out there.

Local roads look more like shallow lakes, and some have had to be closed due to deeper water. Listening to the rain starts to get to you, almost driving you crazy when it never stops. Everything is damp, and every outlook is dull. Any end of season clearing up in the garden had had to be abandoned, and it now looks like nobody lives in the house, it is so neglected.

This is not the climate change expected in fifty years, this is climate change happening before our eyes today. On two of those fourteen days, we had one month’s worth of rainfall in twenty-four hours. Sixty days of rain in just two days, followed by twelve more days of constant downpours. It is no longer remotely amusing, certainly not in the least bit funny, and is now something many of us are going to have to face every year, with increasing severity.

2020 has been one of the strangest years I can remember since 1976. The Coronavirus of course, but also the extreme weather. An unusually hot and dry summer until mid-September, followed by constant rain every day since.

If it doesn’t stop raining soon, I fear I might lose my mind.

Counting my blessings

~ beetleypete ~ 64 Comments

I have been writing (read moaning) a lot about the weather recently. The wettest June on record in the UK, and almost three weeks of non-stop rain. There is more forecast for later today, with the chance of thunderstorms and hailstorms tomorrow too. The weather forecaster warned of more ‘significant rainfall’ in the week to come. But despite being fed up to the point of depression with the dark skies, wet walks with Ollie, and a water intrusion into an outbuilding, I have to take some comfort that it is not as bad as this.

Less than a two-hour drive from here.

The Army needed, to try to fight the overflowing rivers.

People being evacuated from flooded houses.

Cherished homes full of water.

Impassable roads and flooded cars ruined.

Watching such images on the news makes me realise that I am lucky by comparison. And I can only sympathise with the poor people who are forced to live in temporary emergency accommodation, then have to return to water-damaged houses. And they are unable to drive anywhere, even if their car has managed to escape the water.

I’m still fed up of course, but I am counting my blessings that I don’t live in those places.

Monsoon Season in Beetley

~ beetleypete ~ 71 Comments

It has now been raining non-stop for close to 45 hours here.

The noise of the rain and wind kept waking me up during the night, and I finally surfaced at 8:30 to the sound of howling wind and the rain pelting against the windows.

The shed is beginning to flood as the saturated ground starts to allow water to seep into everything. The side entrance is under an inch of water, and some local roads have flood warnings in operation. Driving is hazardous, and water can be seen pouring off the fields like small waterfalls.

The forecast is for ‘more of the same’. I checked the calendar, and confirmed that it is ten days until midsummer’s day.

TV forecasters try to cheer us up with phrases like “The Farmers need the rain”, or “It’s welcomed by gardeners”.

But it is not welcomed by me, I can assure you of that.

Waterworld

~ beetleypete ~ 29 Comments

Not the so-so Kevin Costner film, you will be glad to hear.

Late August and September 2017 might well be remembered as a time of water. Many of the countries and regions on our planet are being consumed by water. Look at the news, and you will see floods in Texas and Louisiana. India, Nepal, and Bangladesh have been inundated with excessive rain, and the ensuing floods too. One storm after another continues to ravage the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, bringing misery to exotic islands, and reaching as far as Florida.

States of Emergency, aid convoys, mercy flights, and evacuations on a huge scale. All because of water, and wind. No matter the achievements of mankind, we remain at the mercy of nature, year after year. The irony of course is that this water is arriving in places that already have enough. Those drought-stricken countries in the arid regions of the world stay dry, while other places fight to combat the rising floods.

Beetley has not been spared a taste of this liquid bounty. It has been raining heavily here since yesterday evening, and hardly light all day either. House lights on at 11 am, a familiar sensation. Looking out the window now, all I can see are raindrops hitting the glass. I am not trying to imply that this is anything like we have seen in the news. Despite our moans, we are lucky in these islands, as disasters are rare. The price we pay is to not have those wonderful summers, the blue seas and skies enjoyed by many. On balance, we are undoubtedly better off, I think.

Some believe that these weather systems are the result of our industrial folly. Carbon footprints, Global Warming, ecological upsets on a grand scale. They might be right, who knows? Others think we are being punished by some God or other, for living without enough Faith. That seems unlikely at best, but if that’s what they want to believe, who am I to argue? Whatever the reasons, and how varied the theories, we can all be certain of one fact.

We are going to have to learn to live with a lot more water.

Nature’s invoice

~ beetleypete ~ 29 Comments

I have been writing a lot lately about how good the weather has been. Although too hot for some, and sometimes difficult at night, we have enjoyed a few weeks of very warm temperatures, record-breaking highs, and unbroken sunshine. The long wait for that late summer was finally worth it, after all.

Today, we got the bill. Mother Nature sent her invoice for the supply of good weather. Like a large heating bill after a long winter, we knew it would come, but it was still a shock when the envelope was opened. The central and eastern parts of the UK were hit with a drop in temperatures of up to fifteen degrees (C). Accompanying this came a huge rainstorm from the Atlantic. Meeting somewhere in the middle, the result was an electrical storm that left thousands without power, lit up the sky with lightning, and dumped the best part of a month’s rainfall on us in twelve hours.

Homes, shops, and schools were flooded, many having to close. There were landslides, train derailments, and serious problems on the roads. Even though we had fair warning, as usual we were unprepared for the full effects. Despite some injuries, it has been reported that nobody was killed, which is a blessing. As the storms continued eastward, the rain here got so heavy that even my trusty umbrella was of little use on my walk with Ollie. I had to go back to heavy boots and a coat too, for the first time in many weeks.

But I am not complaining. Honestly, I’m not. Because we had a summer, albeit rather late, and it was good too. And we all know that you have to pay for the good things in life. This was that invoice.

Storms: The aftermath

~ beetleypete ~ 15 Comments

The storms last night finally blew over at midnight. Local social media was rife with tales of the effects of the intense rainfall. Our local town, Dereham, was hit very hard. The housing estate at Toftwood experienced extensive flooding, with some residents evacuated into community centres. Others had to be evacuated by rescuers using boats, and many homes were badly damaged by water.

In the village of Yaxham, roads were impassable, and even Norfolk’s major roads, the A47 and A11, had to be closed in places. Some buildings had roofs damaged by the amount of water falling onto them, and outlying districts were cut off due to flooded roads too.

I stayed up late, watching the referendum results. By 2 am, the outcome was undecided, and could have gone either way, so I gave up, and went to bed. I woke up to sunshine this morning, and Julie telling me that the Leave side had won the vote, much to our delight. Outside, the lawn and patio were strewn with leaves and slim branches from the oak trees, and the damp ground appeared to be drying out.

I went out earlier than usual with Ollie, pleased to be walking in the sunshine, and enjoying a gentle breeze. Arriving at Beetley Meadows, I was shocked to discover that not only had the small river burst its banks, the water had spread further than I have ever seen before. The picnic areas were under water, and so too most of the paths near the riverbank. But this time, the water had encroached onto the main paths, under all the seating areas, and had also cut off any pedestrian exit from the main gate, or by the bridge. Short of a diversion around the main road, I was not going to get Ollie over to Hoe Rough.

I walked him in circles around the dry areas instead, then through the small woods. He was happy enough, and enjoyed drinking from the overflowing river where it crossed our path. We have had a shower this evening, but fortunately nothing like the rain of last night. Let’s hope it stays that way.

More watery scenes

~ beetleypete ~ 24 Comments

I thought that I would show you a few more photos of a very waterlogged Beetley. There are only three this time, and as usual, they can be clicked on to enlarge details.

Ollie stares forlornly at the small river overflowing onto his usual path at Hoe Rough. He’s wondering which direction to take, I think. The blur at the top is my finger. I slipped in the deeper mud as I took the photo.
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On Beetley Meadows, the other side of the flooded river is really encroaching onto our walk.
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I managed to get some decent reflections in this mud-filled water, but it was too deep in the middle, to attempt to walk through it.
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Although I enjoyed being out with the camera, I am sure that you will understand when I add that I hope it is the last time I have to post such photos.