Bert

 

The Meadows at Stony Stratford

Britain has been battered by Storm Bert and while Bert has sent driving rain, high winds and floods to my area; my little home has remained warm and dry. The same cannot be said for Stony Stratford. The High Street was under water this week. The river had burst its banks again and the park area, flood plain and sports ground were big lakes.

I bumped into someone in Stony that I see at the swimming pool. He said he had stayed home for two days and this was the first time he had got out with his dog. He said the water had stopped rising and he had started pumping. His home backs onto the flooded meadows. There must have been a lot of homes in the area affected. I often think of the dream home I didn’t choose to buy because it had been flooded twice before 2021. But for that decision not to buy, I too could have been paddling through my home like so many others.

For one day this week, I stayed in and didn’t even make it into my garden. Over this week, I binge-watched BBC adaptations of the classics. I watched Bleak House, War and Peace and then I just couldn’t resist watching Pride and Prejudice just one more time. What wonderful TV! Bleak House is full of eccentrics – even eccentric actors like Johnny Vegas (Mr. Krook) played themselves so brilliantly.

Then of course War and Peace isn’t a happy story. Most of the men get blown to bits along the way while the sensible women make good decisions in their absence. The really redeeming bit is Pierre finally marrying Natasha – Only God knows why he didn’t ask her right at the start of the story. It is obvious they both love each other. That alone could have saved me hours of waiting for him to pop the question.

As for Pride and Prejudice, I can actually quote the Andrew Davies script word for word. The big highlight is Elizabeth Bennet’s rebuke of Darcy at the end of Episode 3. Though it is nice to know she fell for him when she saw the size of his house!

None of these synopses would get me a GCSE literature. In a way it is odd that I have been watching stories that I know already. They are such good reads and great entertainment– that is why they are classics, I suppose. I could easily watch them again before too long.

I have been out on my bike. I made a bad decision to ride through a puddle that stretched across the whole road. I thought I would keep my feet dry that way. How wrong I was. I hit a massive pothole that was hidden under water, I wobbled and then got wet anyway. If that is the worst that Storm Bert did to me, I have been lucky! Storm Conall - hot on the tails of Bert - has chosen to hit other parts of the UK. Again, this is lucky for lucky for those here.

The weekend was filled with tree lighting ceremonies. Wolverton is an especially friendly place and despite trundling a stroller with a flat tyre  along, Mattaya stayed asleep through all the carol singing and merriment and Ezra-Mae met loads of her new school friends. It was a lovely evening as was the Cosgrove one. 

I even made it to Ashridge with an old friend this weekend. The weather at the end of November has smiled on us after all.