Floodwaters

I live on the outskirts of a flood plain, where my bungalow has stood for nearly 100 years. It has been my home since 3rd December, 1987. We have never worried about our house flooding, but have watched the water rise in the surrounding fields with quiet excitement, knowing that when the water was at its highest it would feel as if I lived near the sea.

It is fascinating to see how quickly the area is colonized by gulls, ducks and swans. Herons we are used to, they frequent the fields and river banks near our garden. The kingfisher flies through our garden no more or less than before, and since both he and the heron are fishers in our pond we see them more frequently than most.

For many of our years living here, an old man walked up and down the lane coinciding with the opening hours of a nearby pub. If we happened to be outside gardening we would pass the time of day with each other. He was retired and this was his pleasure and time of socializing each evening he told us his father before him had walked the lane, as he did, until the time of his death, and though they had seen the lane flood many times, it had never reached our bungalow. It was good to hear that.