The area we live in is The Norfolk Broads, a series of lakes connected by rivers which are believed to have been formed from the effects of flooding Mediaeval peat excavations.
There is a lot of low lying land and houses with river frontage usually cost a phenomenal amount of money despite the risk of flooding!
The river is very high at the moment and has broken it's banks in a few places, there is one road in our village which made the news this week. The road leading down to one of the local pubs, our (seasonal) fish & chip shop & leisure pool as well as several holiday homes has flooded. It's flooded from start to finish! It made the news as the pub owner was rowing his boat up and down the road to avoid being knee deep in water!
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| The road! |
But this is nothing compared to the floods of 31st January 1953 which affected Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. This has also been in the news lately as we have just past the 60th anniversary, I didn't know too much about it but have seen many photographs displayed in museums and even shops and cafe's around the coast. There were very high tides and wind of hurricane strength, people living near the sea were evacuated but some didn't have time. It's thought that 80 people from Norfolk lost their lives in the flood when the sea broke through the inadequate defenses.a defenses have been improved and added to various spots around the coast in the hope that this will never happen again.
We've also been in the news latey because of the local disused RAF radar station.
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| picture borrowed from the web |
It's in a neighbouring village and I cycle (or more often drive!) past it on my way to cricket all summer. It's been a fixture on the landscape since the 1940's I believe, mainly established during the second World War. RAF bases are all over Norfolk although they are gradually disappearing.
RAF Neatishead is mainly underground and dealt with air to ground radar for the south of the UK.
Operations from there were scaled down and eventually ceased around 10 years ago. There is however an RAF museum on part of the site and you can tour the underground control centre.
It's been on the news as it's up for sale... on ebay!! If you're interested in buying a piece of history it's here, just need a mere £2,500000.00 to spare - it is a lovely bit of countryside though. I almost bit when I mis-read it as £25.00!!
Have a great weekend everyone, I'm on full sporty taxi duties this weekend as The Builder has gone away on a lads/1980's** music/drinking weekend -
he left the house dressed as Crocodile Dundee (don't ask!!)
But by way of light relief Little Miss and I are off to a baby shower this afternoon,
never been to one before so should be fun.
** edited later to show 1980's not 1930's !
I hope everyone isn't too badly effected by the floods.
ReplyDeleteI went to my first baby shower last year, we ate cake and drank tea and played a few games, it was different!
Lisa x
The baby shower was fun Lisa, especially as the soon to be mum didn't know what to expect and was overwhelmed by the fuss and presents. I ate far too much cake though!
DeleteOh dear, I hope you escape flood damage Jay - I've seen how it has affected families in our village over the last few years...
ReplyDeleteHope the baby shower was fun though!
Rose H
x
It's all happening in your little village isn't it! Hope your place didn't get flooded. We've had horrendous floods in our country and the clean-up is a nightmare. I can't believe they put the radar on EBAY - why don't they want to keep it as part of the museum? Hope you two girls had fun at the baby shower. Mel x
ReplyDeleteHi Mel, we're on higher ground and the flood isn't too big or too unusual for this time of year around here. The radar station has been privately owned (apart from the bit that's the museum) for a while but remained unused. It is a shame to be sold off to the highest bidder though.
DeleteWhen we moved into the house before Crap Cottage, we had people rowing down the road. Luckily, the former owners left us their waders which came in very handy!
ReplyDeleteWait? Your local chippy is on the blink? That would devastate me. Hope no damage to your own home. I can't get my head around all those zeros, I'm still thinking of that property as $25!
ReplyDeleteWe had snow again this weekend but has more or less gone this morning, just left our garden like a bog! But I won't complain as we are not flooded as some poor people.
ReplyDeleteLove the tour of upstairs such pretty bedrooms, you're giving me the painting bug, may be when we are back from our holiday we are off to Australia on the 18th for 4 weeks! Can't wait
Chris x
Oh how exciting Chris, can't wait to read your posts about the trip, whereabouts are you going?
DeleteI hope things are drying up some there. I love the pictures of your countryside, by the way. We're getting lots of rain but thankfully, we live on high ground!
ReplyDeleteoh dear! hope you are dry!! last year our family was on a cruise ship and our house got flooded!
ReplyDeletewhat a mess!!!
Hope you and yours are safe and dry. I can't believe the amount of rain that has fallen out of the sky lately; when the hosepipe bans are announced in the summer I shall smack my forehead in amazement.
ReplyDeleteHope you're going to blog about your book club book after your tantalising comment on my blog! I want to know what it is now!