Glad we're on a hill

I think I can safely say that our next house is not going to be called "River View" . . .  We like Crickhowell and would like to live there (though it's a bit of a hot spot so not good value for money).  The poor souls living near the river had immense flooding - I've just been watching the Welsh news and they interviewed the pub landlord (that's the pub, on the juncture of the two streets where the bridge begins, I believe) - the flooding came up and into his upstairs bedrooms . . .  On other houses it was measured at 20 feet deep and nearly in upstairs too . . .  The landlord doesn't know if he will reopen for business.  This drone photo was taken after the water had subsided a good bit . . .

You can see the pink colour of the river and floodwater - good red sandstone soil in these parts.  I got the photo from our daily paper as I don't know if links to BBC online coverage will be valid for overseas followers.  We were very fortunate here - a day's inconvenience, should we have wanted to go out we'd have had to go the top way.  We did get out today and I took the following photos of the flooding in the Towy Valley.

These were taken from the car, as we drove along the A40 (I was not the designated driver I hasten to add!)

Then we stopped in the Museum car park and nipped across to film the Bishop's Pond which had joined forces with the flood water from the River Towy nearby.  Sorry that the light was so poor.

Then on into Carmarthen and these are the traditional flood meadows under water.  I hasten to add all these photos of our local flooding are normal for many winters . . .  This is farmland - though there are a couple of farms which are situated at the edge of or (one) in the middle of the valley.

Sometimes we too get exceptional floods - one last year meant the auction house and other businesses beside the river had three feet of water in them - not good news.  A couple are garages, another a woodworking business, one a builder's merchants etc.  One makes coracles, which is very appropriate . . .  Under the rules of the insurance apparently, everything - even bags of gravel or stone or floor tiles - are deemed ruined by floodwater and must go into landfill.  What a waste.  I believe the river was over again this time (saw water still in the car park of the garage on the far side).

My thoughts go out to those who have virtually lost everything . . .