How High’s the Water, Momma?

50 years ago, I did my first holiday trip. To England! Well, it looked exotic when you’re young and living in Scotland. A friend and I hitch-hiked all the way South. It was the done thing in those days – not a lot of money, and people weren’t as scared as they are now. Big Nanny is watching you!

As we travelled down Britain, people told us “You should visit the West Country. It’s nice!” So we did.
Salisbury Plain – A night spent in a workman’s tin hut during a thunderstorm. Rain, rain and more rain.
Dorset – slept on a marble slab in a Bakery, because the alternative (a graveyard) was deemed ‘unsettling’.
Dartmoor – everything was damp. Perpetually.
Somerset – every village was flooded, so driving involved finding a way around the village rather than drive through.

So what has changed in 50 years? Not a lot. It still gets a trifle wet when it rains. This fact comes as a shock to many people, so let me offer a few geographical pointers …

Levels. An area of low-lying marshland and shallow lakes.
Fens. An area of low-lying marshland and shallow lakes.
Broads. An area of low-lying marshland and shallow lakes.
Marshes. An area of … well, you’ve probably got my point by now.

I can go back 50 years, and I am sure that it was the same 50 years before me. And 50 years before that. Look up the meaning of the word ‘meadow’. Then think about where your house is. It’s not all about global warning – it’s about thinking, and realising, that some places are more prone to flooding than others. So if you live in someplace called, let us say, Duckpond Marsh Meadows, don’t be surprised if the local shop has a roaring trade in sandbags!

I know it isn’t nice when the flood is at your door, but there was not nearly as much fuss when parts of the North of the country got flooded in the past. Does water get wetter when you’re in the Stockbroker Belt?

[In case anyone asks. Yes, I’ve sat for days, in winter, with no power, and a distinct lack of Good Samaritans. Yes, I’ve watched sewage-laden floodwater swill past the doorstep (and, as far as I know, it still does from time to time, in that location). I have often driven to my work, though floods up to the door-handles of my car. (SAAB 9000. Great car!). And never expected the government to bail me out.]

So think about it. Plan ahead. Do something about it. And quit moaning.