Driving Ms Penny

It was the last match of the East District League Division 2 last night. It was a 'dead' match - we could not get promoted or relegated, and our opponents were already relegated no matter what.

After torrential rain for the last few days the bottom of our drive was flooded again but Paul had parked his car at the new gates. Reg phoned after lunch to say the match was still on. I was concerned on whether or not I would actually be able to get out of Todheugh, but saw a few cars going past the house albeit rather sedately so said okay. Plan was changed for me to just pick up Penny and meet Reg and Jean off the A1.

So I set out at 5.40 p.m. in Paul's car, drove slowly through the flood at Edrom and got to the main road. I could see a sign on the road left of the junction but could not read it, and turned right towards Duns. Then I saw the lake ahead and the lorry going very slowly through it. Hmm. Don't think that looks like a good idea...

I turned around and went back to Edrom. And then turned left to take the back road to Manderston. I could see the road was bad but hoped that if I could get through the water I could see I would be okay. By the time I realised the flood continued on and off for the next half mile I was committed. Okay. Take it nice and steady. Get through each stretch of flooded road, regather your nerve, and keep going. A couple of times I thought I was going to be stranded but I eventually got to dry land.

And then I got to the main road and could see that the sign there did indeed indicate that the stretch of main road that I had bypassed was closed. And suddenly the surrounding countryside was covered with snow...

I stopped to get petrol and then got to Penny's about 10 minutes later than planned. It was stunning how much snow there was at Duns considering we, only 4 miles away, had had none.

We headed out via Preston, meaning to join the A1 at Grantshouse. We caught up with a gritter in front of us, who then decided to stop and chat with the driver of a gritter coming the other way. And then they moved on, only for our gritter to stop again and redirect us all off that road and on to the road towards Reston. At this point I got Penny to phone Paul to get him to phone Reg/Jean to tell them we were now just heading towards Jean's house...

Water was pouring onto the roads from the fields but this was child's play compared to Edrom. Just had to avoid the large potholes and debris on the road. And then we got to the A1 and sanity returned. We made the rendezvous point just gone 6.25 p.m. and transferred into Reg's car. But I had already decided that I was not willing to drive back home that night - floods in the dark was not my idea of fun. Plans were made for Penny and I to have a sleepover at Reg's.

We won the match...

We dropped Jean off at the rendezvous and Penny and I transferred back to Paul's car and followed Reg home.

Coffee and biscuits by the fire and a quick run through the boards before bed. Diana had made up a spare room for us and provided us with jimjams.

We woke up to a glorious day, albeit windy. What a difference. Fed and coffeed we set off for home. The scenery looked spectacular, the hills glistening with snow in the bright sunshine. Sunglasses had not been added to my handbag the evening before.

I dropped Penny off in the square and then decided to risk the main road. I got as far as Manderston's gates before I hit the 'Road Closed' again. Turned around and decided I would take the long route home via Preston...

The 2008 Whiteadder Floods at Todheugh

The rain water drains at the bottom of our drive had backed up yesterday causing a large puddle by lunchtime. By the afternoon walk it was up to the verge. When Penny came over in the early evening it was starting to get deep and she was worried about getting out again. When we took the dogs out late at night we soon realised by the light of our torches that we were not wading across the verge but were actually walking in the rockery. This was the view this morning...


We escaped via the extremely muddy building site and walked back to see how much of the road was under water...



We then walked down to the path by the river. One of the straw bales from Margaret's field next to the river had made a bid for freedom...


We then walked up to the view point at the top of the hill to see the full extent of the flooded fields.


Margaret's field half under water. I wonder how many straw bales have actually made it all the way out to sea...



The field below Blanerne House had not been harvested. I don't know how much will be able to be salvaged.


I ventured back out after a cup of coffee to try to get to the bridge. I did not even get to the bottom of the drive before the water was up to the top of my wellies. Not deterred I went the back route from behind our garden sheds, via the old quarry coming out on the road just behind Karen's house.

The water stopped at the bottom of the hill so I could make my way around it to the bridge.

The water was over the top of the buttresses. Luckily it did not look as if too much debris had been lodged in the bridge.





It could have been a lot worse - there is quite a log jam in amongst the trees on the submerged island upstream. Of course, these could still free themselves...


View East from the bridge...





View West from the bridge...


The water on the road had receded about a metre when I walked back, but I soon found out that I was not going to be able to wade through it and had to retrace my route via the quarry.


I have repeated the view from an upstairs window for a comparison with yesterday photograph...

Despite the fact that it has been raining most of the morning the water levels are dropping quite quickly. I have just taken the dogs out and the verge is no longer under water, although the road still is but is passable if driving slowly. The field in the top left corner of the above photograph now looks merely puddly, draining rapidly back into the river via a mini waterfall. The straw bale is now high and dry. There is a lot of debris dumped along the other side of the road, ranging from tree trunks to plastic bottles.