After effects

I spent today with my family, in a small village near Hebden Bridge. We had a lovely time, comparing notes about holidays and chatting about my niece and nephew.

As you may know, Hebden was flooded twice in a short space of time in July this year - my brother was out with colleagues during the first, and was lucky to get home through the town, where the water was already 3/4 of the way up his tires, and it was still raining.

It must be horrible to have that dirty water and muck flowing into your home or hard-built-up business, and heartbreaking to see the devastation it leaves. And then just when you think it's safe to start the clean up process, it happens again...

I was surprised though to see the change in Hebden when I drove through today. There are still sandbags outside quite a few of the shops and it no longer (to me anyway) had the smart, elegantly boho appearance it used to - things just seemed a bit grubby.

Please don't get me wrong here, I'm not attacking anyone, or the town, and I've no idea of the work involved in cleaning up after a flood (I'm lucky never to have been flooded), I'm just... 'disappointed' is the wrong word, but perhaps saddened to see a place I love not at its best.

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