So my birth mum lives in Somerset right?

Given the media coverage I thought it was appropriate to see how her and the family were coping…

“No – we’re all OK.  Not daft enough to live on a flood plain!  The poor people that do have all my sympathy.  The local farmers are out of business probably for good – even if the water goes away soon, the land won’t be growing anything for a very long time.  Flooding is the norm on the moors (a lot of them are below sea level.  Bridgwater was a port in mediaeval times) but it is a whole lot worse than it need have been because any maintenance was stopped years ago and the powers that be just went on concreting over the countryside.  All water is sent to the drains (as in King Sedgemoor Drain) and rivers which happily get all silted up and they wonder why we now have problems!  It is much the same with the Thames Valley.  I used to work for the Institute of Hydrology in Wallingford and Thames breaking banks was pretty normal as well but since then again, there has been a whole lot more building on green field sites = water sent to river etc. etc. you get the picture.  Currently it is blowing a gale about every three days – we’ve just started the current storm with another lined up for Friday, ain’t British weather wonderful.  Nobody has mentioned it yet, but this is the first year for a very long time we haven’t had a blocking high pressure over Scandinavia in January/February which had the effect of sending everything far north and giving us snow etc.  Can’t wait for summer and drought – trust me, we’ll have a hose pipe ban again!  Do hope you are well, not too many earthquakes etc.  I must say, I am reminded a lot of Wellington with all this wind. ”

I got educated. Quite a lot of information really. Love having a Mensa member for a mother.