YCCMB Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Yes, it's official!Some of you may know that we're in the middle of being flooded in our little village...[:D] ...and, as my B-I-L phoned earlier and made some mention of us being writ large across the pages of the Daily Mail, I thought I'd just have a look online and see what they were saying.I've lived here for over 20 years. Apparently, according to the DM, we've been flooded - and here I quote - "Three times in just over decade". Well, we haven't.Also, we're all currently "walking around in raw sewage" - we aren't.AND (my sense of smell isn't that great, but no-one I've met or spoken to has mentioned it) there's "the occasional whiff of effluent". Little wonder, then, that the "typical villager" they've chosen to interview is portrayed as follows:The Thurner family set sail from the front steps of their Victorian home in glorious midday sunshine, stepping into a small kayak that had been rowed up the high street of the normally idyllic commuter village of Datchet.Daughters Beatrix, Scarlet and Marina were lifted carefully into the precariously-bobbing vessel, before a bowl of Pedigree Chum was placed inside the hull to convince Ruby, a young boxer dog, to join them.Last of all came mum Sian and dad Robert, carrying suitcases which contain the provisions which must sustain them until the murky flood waters covering half of Berkshire subside.I bought this canoe so we could go up and down the Thames at weekends, and have the occasional picnic,’ said Robert, a marketing consultant. ‘I never realised I’d be using it to evacuate my home.‘We’re getting out because this house has no back door and the front is going to be inaccessible pretty soon, which will leave us with no way in or out. So for safety’s sake, we’ve decided to make a move.’Before rowing away from the home they have owned since 2003, Mr Thurner, 46, had moved furniture upstairs, emptied the wine cellar, and built a wall of orange sandbags across his front door.I don't think it's anything to do with the whiff of effluent (most of which seems to be emanating from the above article) nor the fact that I'm apparently walking around up to my welly-tops in "raw sewage"....but something is now giving me the urge to vomit..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyF Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 How could you do this to me, Betty? There was I , implicitly trusting every word of the DM and now you tell me their reporters have wellies of clay! I shan't sleep a wink tonight..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Betty I took your advice when I looked at a news article with a photo of a canoe, think it was the mail, 3 kids in it maybe the ones you refer to being towed by a man but you could see the crowns of his wellies above the water which must have been all of 3" deep and the canoe, clearly a flat bottomed one must have been firmly beached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Walking around in sewage yet only the occasional whiff of effluent? [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 TBH, Chancer, the Mail claims they canoed up the "High Street"....only our High Street (conveniently called "High Street", lest there be any confusion) is still bone dry. The village centre, yesterday, was chocka with canoes that were being dragged along the tarmac for the benefit of the media circus. Today it's a different matter, as the water IS deep enough. In fact, at teatime, I saw a shortish bloke walking through the water in chest waders which were only just high enough to prevent him getting waterlogged and rooted to the spot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Welcome to the world of media reporting Betty.In a previous life I was occasionally involved in rescues underground - employed purely as a pack animal. The media reporting had to be seen to be (not) believed - wrong location, wrong names given to the cave and victim, wrong account of incident, the list is almost endless.And every paper was as bad as the next, with just once exception - the FT - who would not report such an incident unless there were to be a financial implication.If they don't know they make it up. And if they make it up for trivial stuff, what about serious stories?....................................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I wonder if there's a certain irony in having a child called Marina...sorry, just my weird sense of humour.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 you beat me to it RH![:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 When I saw the names of the kids I thought 'The Dad must be in marketing' and hey-ho, next paragraph there it was.I wonder if he works for the DM and gets paid by the column inch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 You rotters - I thought everything in the papers was the absolute truth.......so there is not a bus on the moon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 If you get bored Betty, you could always check the electoral register and see if there is indeed a Robert Thurner (sp?) registered. At the moment my money is on you not finding them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I think you could leave the "shock" out of the thread heading. Suffice unto the day.....whatever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Betty ...........I've been waiting for a resident in your village to be interviewed.Q. "So you've lived here for a number of years and your name is?A. "Mrs Bloggs, but you can call me Betty".It hasn't happened yet though.[:(]I saw yesterday that the BBC's 'George' had been sent down to the scene. Serious stuff !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Just remembered, my OH once had a flatmate who was a reporter on the local rag and one of her jobs was to write the restaurant reviews. She did not always feel like going to the restaurant so would get the menu and wirte about the fabulous meal that she had not had.Perhaps Drop The Dead Donkey was accurate - you can imagine the Damien Days of todays media saying 'look there is a puddle, open that fire hydrant for some more water'.Having said that some of the aerial photos do show that a large number of properties are floodied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Oh I think D the DD was spot onHow does the saying go.....Never let the facts get in the way of a good story [:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 [quote user="Gardian"]Betty ...........I've been waiting for a resident in your village to be interviewed.Q. "So you've lived here for a number of years and your name is?A. "Mrs Bloggs, but you can call me Betty".It hasn't happened yet though.[:(]I saw yesterday that the BBC's 'George' had been sent down to the scene. Serious stuff !! [/quote]Ha! George has been moved to Wraysbury. Last night we had Jon Snow for Channel 4 news, and my claim to fame was that I knew everyone he interviewed except the fireman! One of them lives next door but 4.Missed our big chance only this very morning. Only we're now only page 2 news, so the media presence was entirely made up of Dutch and Belgian TV vans. The Belgians must've seriously rushed to get here: they still had their Eurotunnel "coathanger" letter hanging off the rear view mirror! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Betty just make sure that you don't slip down to page 3. They might expect you to reveal too much![:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I'm not leaving the house in any less than 4 layers, Cendrillon! In fact...right now, looking out of the window...I'm not leaving the house full stop. It's raining (again) and the 7cm drop in the upstream water level at Old Windsor lock looks like it's going to be negated pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frecossais Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Even the BBC is not above dramatising events in the flooded areas of the Thames. Maybe they think that the facts about height of the river, water coming up through the road etc need to be spiced up by the "human interest" angle, so they stage interviews and rehearse scenarios.Even if we didn't live in Datchet, I'm pretty sure we watch and read with a cynical eye what is presented to us by the media.Less rain forecast for tomorrow, Betty. Hope there'll be another drop in that water level at Old Windsor Lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Just come back from a meeting in our village hall with council, parish council, fire service, army. We left as it began to degenerate.Water level in our bit of the Thames has dropped 10 inches, ground water has nowhere to go and our neighbour immediately opposite popped by a short while ago to advise he's got 2" of water under his floorboards, so we're probably the same or soon will be. Ground water, the unseen threat, is now looking like it may be what gets us in the end.Still not looking good, but, hey ho...we've got two divisions (or platoons, or whatever they call it) of the Household Cavalry now, and they've had top resort to delivering sandbags in a Morrison's lorry! I just wish they'd told the army that turning up to a flood zone in desert camouflage is sending out some very mixed messages!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Shame they did not assign the RAF - they could have dropped the sandbags.Best of luck with the water Betty - keep your snorkel handy, no doubt Chancer would lend you his diving equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Aaah...no need...I have my very own diving equipment! And in a strange twist of foresight, my drysuit is kept on the second floor! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Just watching Newsnight, I hope I never fall foul of Jeremy Paxman... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Just watching Newsnight, I've seen my local councillor and next-door-but 4 neighbour again. He's turning up everywhere, and accomplishing sweet FA. I can't believe he's been on the scene of every single media opportunity available (and he's the former Mayor) yet I don't think I've seen him knock on a single local door to check if the people inside are OK, or engage with anyone to find out how they are, or anything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Betty stay safe. I'll check back here tomorrow to see how you're getting on [:)]bon courage ...............................................encore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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