Xmas 2007

We were one of the many hundreds of flood victims on 20th July. We are still living in a caravan - aren't they cold? - with our animals. On the day of the flood we rescued goats, cats, dogs, puppies - but didn't have time to save much of our own stuff! The result is we have very little left - including no Xmas decorations - they were all under the stairs and ruined. Those who have been flooded will understand that it only took 15 minutes to go from nothing to 3ft - there is no time to rescue stuff - and it is a total shock to the system! At least all our animals were and still are fine. We, like many others, struggled to get a builder at first. However, a builder who had attended our Dog Agility classes, Mark Cole, has been brilliant. He and his team have stripped the plaster, kitchen, bathroom, lounge etc and have put the heating on today - 12th December - we have heating again!! Those who have been and still are without heating will understand how miserable it is without it. We still don't have a shower on in the house and the caravan shower works for 23 seconds before deciding it has had enough and goes from luke warm to freezing - without warning. We have taken to lathering shampoo etc before turning the shower on in the hope of getting it washed off before the water turns - not always very successfully! The animals were confused at first - our fox-terrier, Foxy, decided to swim into the house and sit where she normally does - except her seat on the settee was under water. The poor dog sat with her nose barelly above water awaiting rescue - she wouldn't move from her place without insistance from us! They and us, lived for the first 10 days in our old horse lorry - us, 4 little dogs, 2 large poodles and 2 goats - an interesting nights sleep - not!! We have had 3 caravans - not all at once, of course! All have been brand new! The first had no water - a manufacturing fault. The second, no heating - it did come on sometimes when we turned it to off! The third is a house on wheels - the first two were tourers - which seems great until it is cold - then it is like living in a paper bag! There is no TV ariel - we live in a place where there is little reception - except it seems for Emmerdale, Coronation street and Eastenders!! These have to be viewed with another person holding the ariel at a strange angle with sudden movements to be avoided! It doesn't, I have discovered, work when it is something important - like the end of a football match or the last 10 minutes of the last episode of Heroes! (did anyone really understand Heroes - and why did I watch all but the last 15 minutes?) Anyway, lots of stories from the flood but little time to tell. Did you know it took Noah 72 years to build the Ark? It will take about the same time for the government to realise that we might just have a problem with climate change! No doubt the powers that be will eventually relocate us all to live on stilts on top of a wind farm! Still, mustn't grumble - well actually can't help it!!