Nice Weather ... if you're a Duck!

I never in million years thought we'd see rainfall as we've seen today. It's been awful. It started raining last night about 10.30pm ... and it didn't stop until 3pm or so this afternoon.

We have been EXTREMELY lucky as we're tucked away in a corner of the estate. The fact that we are on a slight slope and our cul-de-sac is slightly higher up than everyone else has saved us from flooding. Sadly not everyone on our estate has been so lucky.

At 1pm the rain had eased so I had walked to the end of our road. Well, Agricola Way was a river. Water was gushing from Station Road, through fences and gardens into Agricola Way and flowing quickly towards Pipers Way.

At 3pm, I had to go to the Post Office, and wandered over to the shops (had to come back and put my wellies on though as water was very deep). The local shops had a close escape. Water had come right up to the doors but thankfully stayed there. The car park by the doctors surgery was under inches of water.

Station Road was flooded and water was pouring down from here heading towards Agricola Way and Wheelers Green Way. But there was no where for it to go. The drain system was so full, water was pouring up and adding to the problem.

Callum needed to get out of the house so Jon and I took him for a walk. We were shocked at the sights we saw. The water appeared to be receding at our end of Agricola Way, but further down it was a complete mess. The road was waist deep in places and lots of houses were badly flooded. The aerial views of an estate in Thatcham on BBC News are of this part of our estate.

You couldn't walk down Betteridge Road to get to Wheelers Green Way - water was up to the tops of the car tyres. Walking by the shops, it became obvious that WGW was impassable too. There were people trying to get through, but the wake they were creating was causing more misery for those people trying desparately to bail water out of their houses.

We then walked down Station Road to the the Station(!), and the roundabout there was underwater with cars stranded mid-road. The Swan Pub carpark was flooded and chances are the pub hadn't escaped either. Pipers Way wasn't much better with vans and cars abandoned in the water.

Jon walked around to Pipers Way. There's a flood plain just around the corner that must be 8 feet below road level and used as a playing field (massive - must be the size of several football pitches). Well, Thatcham now has a boating lake - you couldn't tell the road from the "lake" in places.

Paths had been washed away. Cars and vans abandoned on any dry bit of land. I've never seen so many people out on the estate EVER (not even for Thatcham Carnival!). Those that weren't affected were taking photos and just gob-smacked by what they saw. Those that had been affected were trying their best to clear up.

Mum and Dad had a narrow escape. They live at the top of a hill (so you'd think they'd be safe) but the water came up to the damp course level but thankfully didn't get inside the house. The garden was completely flooded too but the bloomin' rabbits are still having a whale of time splashing about. They are eating my parents out of house and home. Anything they plant, the rabbits eat! Bucklebury Village has been badly hit - the church is under 3 feet of water.

Thatcham as a whole seems to have been hit quite badly. The water pouring off Henwick fields was a waterfall and houses along the A4 were waist deep in water. It was quicker to wade than drive today!

Hardly surprising but our last swimming lesson was cancelled ... more water in the car park than in the pool! We were meant to be meeting up with friends for a meal and to see the latest Harry Potter film tonight. No chance, we can't get out of our estate. Hopefully they'll make it though.