What a difference a month makes, from Halloween through November we have seen rain just about every day, the Ducks are very happy but it all went horribly wrong on the 19th November when the rain over the previous two days just never let up, overnight the watercourses and rivers filled and by the morning of the 19th it was clear that disaster was looming. But like any parent of teenagers who are preparing for GSCE's we battled through to get them to school come hell or HIGH WATER ! - only to find that by lunchtime they were actually stranded now at school, still its all part of life's rich tapestry and adventure.
For us in Hawkshead the drama continued as we battled to save the shop from being flooded - resorting to huge sacks of sugar in place of sand bags to stop the flow, it worked and only a small puddle appeared in the shop - we were very lucky, many houses in the village saw the levels rising up through their cellars with no way of stopping the tide.
The village was cut off for the best part of 3 days, certainly to trucks and deliveries - I managed to get through to retrieve the children on the Friday with a journey that took me 3 hours - (normally 20 mins at the most!) We also played host to two members of staff who were stuck in Hawkshead overnight.
This week - 10 days on, there are skips everywhere with carpets and furniture beyond redemption, it is a sad sight, but we are all thankful that it wasn't any worse, sadly as we think of the PC Barker who was not so lucky and his family mourning his loss it puts it all into perspective.
We received calls from all round the world as news of the floods hit the news channels, yet some people just a few miles away rang to question where there orders had got too!
For businesses around the area the message is clear to everyone who loves and enjoys the Lakes, we are back to normal (ish) and the county is very much open for business, I have heard tales of folks cancelling their Christmas bookings at hotels that were not even flooded for fear of the scenes of devastation that they think they will see and impassable roads, this is not the case, there are still some closed bridges in places, some walls are down, but all areas are accessible and now more than ever the businesses need the support of visitors to come and enjoy the area.
Today - the skies are blue, the mountains white with snow and the valleys filled with frost. One of those clear beautiful cold and crispy days, as I drove the children to school Windermere was steaming giving an ethereal and beautiful glow as the sun started to show through a bright orange and red sunrise, how I wished that I had my camera with me ! it's always the way.
Anyway - come to the Lakes - we are all open and will welcome visitors with open arms and tales of how they escaped or coped with the Great Flood of 2009 !
