The Big Clear Out (by sarah)

We have electricity agian! And thanks to three helpful volunteers we now have no stinky carpet (well its outside at least) and no sticky sofa bed (also outside).

This was lots and lots of hard work - the bad news was that we found some mould on the kitchen cupboards so they have to go too - not sure how we're going to handle that one to be completely honest!

I'm thinking people coming to visit who like DIY? I'll see exactly what the insurance peeps say first though I think.

The down side is that the village bowsers appear to be missing still - this is currently being blamed on the fact that the 'lads' who are delivering all this stuff are liverpuddlians and therefore are lost - I'm assuming this is becuase they have no maps extra of the area and have never been here before rather than it being a slight on the navagational skills of those in Liverpool!

Our voluteers did well in that they also helped remove Barbaras carpet too which after all the effort of drying and sucking out of water - is in the end being binned - sigh.

Today the saddest thing was seeing all the appliences moved out of the house - these are all things we associate with living together - the fridge freezer we got when we moved into the Essex flat and the rest has been got since we moved here and therefore isn't exactly old 🙁

I'm not sure if Al's written about the flood defenses yet but tonight we put them up 'just in case'.

I've stopped throwing up aswell - though I still feel a bit nuaes especially when peopl started talking about having a botulism shake for lunch whilst pointing at the disgusting froth issuing forth from the carpet.

We're getting there - there is still lots of laughter and hope - well sort of - sigh.

Flood damage pictures (by alaric)

Flood diverter (by alaric)

We've built a flood diverter:

Heavy rain is predicted tomorrow, and if it floods again, this thing should help to divert the stream around behind the house.

Thing is, it reminds me of the scenery from the first part of Half Life: 2. I feel compelled to find some yellow paint and put a lambda symbol on it.

More flood updates (by alaric)

Firstly, Sarah's fallen ill too. Throwing up lots. We took her to the doctors who said that hopefully it'd pass in a day or so, and to get in touch if it didn't, or if it got worse.

Secondly, the good news, the insurance people will happily replace all the damaged stuff from downstairs, and gave us £200 up front to cover short-term emergency living expenses!

We’re under Sixteen Inches of muddy brown water (by sarah)

This was writen off line on Saturday:

Ok well I think it was only about 6 inches but that doesn't fit with the Nick Cave lyrics ok.

We are a site of total devistation, having seen the pictures of yesturday when Al got back from dropping me and Jean off - it is a very good job I wasnt here as it would have been very very scary I think. Last night I ended up staying up until 3 am looking for our insurence stuff but have a horrible feeling it might be part of the BIG SOGGY and so I'll have to try and find out which policy wer're on the hard way.

The carpet is beyound salvage with grit and mud oozing from it with every squelching foot fall. The paint and plaster are bubbling off of the lower parts of the walls, I havent dared look in the brown seat were we keep such things as sacks of sugar, rice and cat biscuits.

Synthia the draft excluder is in a very sorry shape and has been taken away by a neighbour to try and salvage - I've had that snake since time in memorial and it is the brethren of the one that lived in the house of one of my nans neighbours - they bought Synthia for me as a sort of please leave our carpet snake alone, presant.

Sigh - I think the worse bit was fishing all the soaked Jean toys out of the mire - they should pretty much all wash out but there was something somehow devastatingly poignant about soggy floppy rabbits and teddies that have water running out of them when you pick them up.

There is still no power down stairs though we have light and thanks to a solid fuel fire - heat. We've spent most of the day trying to find homes for all the things off of the funiture so that we could move the funiture so that we could rip up the capet which is harder than you'd think especially when it turns out the radiators are on top of the carpet and we are struggling to see an easy way to dismount the heaters.

I was releived to see that our extensive book collection had all survived - well it had right up until one of the kittens knocked a stack of books waiting for transport up the stiars into the muddy squelch! I was not happy especially as it coped one Anne Rice, one C.J. Cherry and an Asimov 🙁 (since this was written I also found a Clive Baker and Nivan book awash :()

I think we're defenitly in for the long hull with this one 🙁