Thursday 19 November

[Kath Mulligan]

Linda, how are you faring with the horrendous rain today? I know that Cumbria has been very badly affected by flooding, with lots more to come by the sound of it, but I heard that South West Scotland had been pretty badly hit too.

We've been lucky today, quite windy at times, but dry for the most part, and not looking too bad tomorrow, but Saturday looks pretty horrible for most of us - think that will be a "pull up the drawbridge" day for me! I'm out at a friend's house tomorrow evening so am hoping the bad weather waits until after I get home before it kicks in!

Kath

[Linda]

Hi Kath, Well our lane has become a stream...and our bedroom ceiling has been dripping due to a stupid system of air vents on the roof..so Jeff cut the ceiling and we now have a bucket there..no sleeping in our bed tonight! Same thing has occurred in the bedroom opposite...so thats a weekend job...while I am out re homing.
The sun room is flooded due to a leak in the corner by the house roof..
Its just been rain rain rain here for about three to four weeks...we have had about two three days dry and this last couple of days continuous heay rain with driving winds ....
the fields, although slightly elevated are in may parts either under water or like walking in a bog.
altogether not good but we are ok and just keeping fingers crossed nothing else goes....
happily we are online and feel in touch with the world which makes us happy! :):)
I would hate to be somewhere where you are low down or near a river about to burst its banks...that would be awful!

We have got to the stage that weather wise up here we take what comes its when we have 'house failures' or are offline we get fraught!

...however, if someone said to me right now heres a ticket for two weeks away somewhere warm I would not hesitate to be off... :):)

how is everyone else coping??
its been pretty bad down south for a few weeks too...

[Janet Swan]

We're so lucky here in the South East as just a bit of wind and rain but nothing at all serious. Oh, Linda, have just read about your home problems caused by weeks of rain - and you're not even grumbling about it. Good luck with the work you have to do.

I watched the lunchtime news about the floods in the Lake District. So sad about the lovely policeman who lost his life on the bridge that collapsed. The pictures of the floods were almost unbelievable. Fortunately it does seem that everyone who needed to be rescued has been, and it was good to hear that people were helping each other. The heartache of losing irreplaceable items and, dare I mention it, probably pets too, together with months of chaos while repairing a home - so very hard. And would they ever feel safe again in their homes? Anyone know if Sue and Dave Law are OK?

Janet

[jane jackson]

I do so agree about that Policeman ~ how dreadful for his family. It must be awful to be flooded and from the TV pictures it looked so frightening for everyone concerned.

Linda, do hope you and Jeff stay dry and are able to mend what needs to be mended. Dampness is bad enough in a home without actual water seeping in. As long as you both and your animals are ok.

We've had a lovely day down here with sunshine but last night the rain was very heavy with more threatened for tomorrow with high winds. Our lawn which was drying out nicely has turned back to muddy and soggy.

Hope you get home from your friend's house safely Kath.

[Linda]

oh how dreadful about the Policeman...dreadful.
We watched the news this morning and saw how deep the floods were in Cockermouth, my memory went back to Sue and Dave and others on the forum who suffered last year.
Terrible weather and more on the way...lets hope it isnt any worse though.
Jeff took the day off in the end and has been up on the roof blocking up all the silly vents...we shall sleep down here again until wie know its not leaking again....then we can repair the bedroom ceiling and go back upstairs again.....
....roll on dry weather ....with some sun??
:)

[adesmith]

Linda, I do hope that you have a bit of a dry spell so that you can sort everything out! I admire your stoicism with dealing with the weather.

It is awfully sad about the policeman and really because he was doing what he was doing other lives were probably saved. The emergency services are so brave and the people that were interviewed that had been rescued were full of praise for them.

I hope that everyone keeps safe and dry this weekend.

[gloria townsin]

Can but hope the weather will calm down and no more damage or losses will happen. Haven't heard anything untoward about Sue and Dave so hope they haven't been caught up in the flooding this time.

[Brenda]

...however, if someone said to me right now heres a ticket for two weeks away somewhere warm I would not hesitate to be off... :):)

Linda, your bedroom is ready anytime. It's not terribly warm here anymore, but the welcome would be.

Perhaps we'll send some lovely weather over to you folks in the UK, as we've just finished two weeks of absolutely gorgeous sunny warm days. Steady rain here for the last two days (unbelievable how quickly all those good feelings disappear after just two days of rain and dark skies), but we're all feeling grateful that the temperature is above zero, or else we'd all be out with the snowblowers and shovels.

Sorry for your troubles in the house, Linda, and anyone else who has been affected by the recent heavy rain in the UK. Hope it all dries up very soon!

Brenda

[Linda]

I kew there would be a ray of hope somewhere...the UK usually gets what you ahve had Brenda about two weeks after...so here's to some sun and dry and weather shortly! :)

.....would love to Brenda.....oh! if everyone else here could get to see your place Brenda...they would adore it!!

[gloria townsin]

Wishing you drier days Linda and Jeff and anyone else suffering horrid weather conditions.

[Kath Mulligan]

We've just had good news about the parents of one of Elizabeth's friends who have a static caravan sited in Cockermouth and were up there this week. Fortunately the site, although very wet and muddy is away from the river and the worst of the flooding, and Julie and Chris are on their way home to Dorset now, although the A66 at Keswick is still closed by floods so they are having to drive north to Carlisle to get on the M6.

We seem to have escaped the worst of the conditions again today. It's breezy and quite wet and miserable - a typical late November day in fact - but nothing too dramatic.

What a brave man that policeman was, and how tragic that today would have been his 45th birthday too. Seeing that bridge at Workington brought back vivid memories of the floods in Boscastle.

Kath

[jane jackson]

Glad Elizabeth's friends are ok. The flooding seemed to be so deep and fast flowing.

The sun has been out now for a couple of hours and there's a bit of blue sky too so the worst has gone. Just been speaking to my friend in Minehead and they've had heavy rain until a few moments ago and very strong winds. No dog walking for her either.

[adesmith]

Its rained most of the afternoon here and then just as we got back from the shops (we rushed back so that I could do a bit of tidying in the garden) it absolutely poured down! The pansies in my hanging baskets look like they have had it. The leaves are going yellow! It was a bit depressing out there.

[Janet Swan]

The pansies in my hanging baskets look like they have had it. The leaves are going yellow! It was a bit depressing out there.

Some of my pansies in pots are looking rather sad, too, but don't give up on yours yet - am hoping they might recover. Have you cut off all the dead flowers and removed the yellow leaves? That helps to produce new ones. They may well dry out and "come back".

Janet

[adesmith]

Yes I thought I would just leave them in because if I tried to replace them the same thing would probably happen. I have dead headed them and taken off the worst of the yellowing leaves. In one of the baskets all of the leaves have a yellowish border around them but (usually you have some the bottom leaves going yellow) otherwise they look quite healthy. Hopefully we will have a bit of a dry spell and they might dry out and recover.

When I bought them there was an offer on and you could have 3 packs for 2. I only wanted 2 and I knew the colour scheme that I wanted so Rachel chose the extra tray and the colour that she wanted. They were a lovely dark and dusky pink colour. However they did have some yellowy leaves but she really wanted them (I normally wouldnt get them if they showed signs of that). Most of them have died beyond recovery, rotted right off. At least they were free!

[Kath Mulligan]

My polyanthus and cyclamen are looking a bit forlorn and battered at the moment too. They are not helped by all the leaves blowing off my Virginia Creeper onto them every day, so I have to keep going out and clearing them away. Not many leaves left on now, so I shall be able to chop it down to size again very soon - it got a severe pruning in the spring, but it has clambered up to roof height once again. I always wait until it is bare-stemmed before cutting it back nowadays. I did once do it while it was in full leaf and got covered in spiders and beetles as it came tumbling down on top of me - won't be making that mistake again!!:redface:

Very windy here again this evening. Our wheelie bin was emptied yesterday so have had to go out twice already and retrieve it - it keeps going walkabout up the path at the side of the house!!

Kath

[jane jackson]

Very heavy rain all evening here. Bryan was at a meeting down at the Sailing Club and started to walk home but decided to call me for a lift and he was getting drenched. Not very pleasant but then again nothing compared to the folk in Cumbria.:rain::rain::rain:

Don't like the sound of the spiders etc coming out of your virginia creeper Kath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:spider:Not sure I can even cope with it here....................especially after seeing parts of "I'm a Celeb"

[gloria townsin]

. Our wheelie bin was emptied yesterday so have had to go out twice already and retrieve it - it keeps going walkabout up the path at the side of the house!!

Kath

:pound:Born under a Wanderin Star - eh Kath?