Tuesday 11 February 2014

42 paces, Midnight walk 11 February 2014


Midnight 11 February 2014

I’ve just come back from my midnight flood walk and I’m having a warming drink.

I crossed the road to take a look at the little stream – that’s well out of reach now. My personal flood mark was an old Red Bull tin I put at the edge of the water; that’s gone now, swept away.

I paced it out from the waterline to the road that protects us; it’s 42 paces now.

I walked along the Staines road. Near Magna Carta Lane water has started to build up. I can’t understand where it came from – there is no drain, no stream. It can only have bubbled up from a water main and as our toilet doesn’t like flushing any more, the flood must be pushing the water in the pipes back and up.

At ancient Ankerwycke the moon was three quarters full, bright in a cold clear night sky. Orion and Cassiopeia are still dancing their winter dance. Ankerwycke’s meadows are now all water – it is strange to walk down the lane with water on either side but any road is raised, even if it is only by a few inches and those inches matter.

Moonbeams played over the new lake. It was achingly beautiful. New giant logs bob on the water, washed up from somewhere. Our owls have left us (no food) but waterfowl – ducks and geese have moved in.

As I came back I walk along the middle of the main road, there is no traffic.

Except there are two giant four wheel drives with flashing blue lights parked in the middle of the road near the water I crossed on the way out. They don’t like it either. They do a sudden three point turn in the road with screeching tyres and then they are off – I get out of the way. That doesn’t look good.

We’ll be OK tonight; tomorrow it’s an early start for me and decisions to make.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

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