Brown Bowling Green and Bedraggled Flowers

And it's still really stinky. The first time I cycled through Rowntree Park when it was reopened earlier this week, I nearly gipped. Nowhere else along the river that was flooded smells this bad. Bleuuch! Good job the bowling season is over - have you ever seen a green looking like this before?

Breakfast by the River

I'm getting in to a routine of being at the library first thing. I chain my bike to railings not far from the above scene (yes, I know, for anyone who knows York, I've left myself quite a walk, but I'm still a bit of a wuss on my bike in traffic and prefer to stick to off road cycle paths where I can). I'm always sorely tempted to stop and have a 2nd breakfast here. Probably just as well that finances don't currently permit!

When this scene previously appeared on the blog, it was completely under water (20 Aug 2008). It also flooded again - and to a worse degree - more recently. But things seem to have dried out now, thank goodness.

Stinky Park

I omitted to tell you yesterday that the notes of the brass band weren't the only thing drifting in through the kitchen door.

Rowntree Park stinks. Much as I love the place, we've been keeping the windows shut and taking detours where possible. The park was under five feet of flood water for several days, and for just over a week now, pumping machines have been getting it all out. They're almost there from what I can see through the railings, but it looks very brown, bedraggled and sorry for itself - and what a stench. According to Ruby Senior, it has never smelt this bad on previous floodings (thank you park, wait till I arrive in town, why don't you) and she was heard to utter with screwed up nose while firmly shutting windows yesterday "Urgh! I think there must have been a burst sewage main!"

Not surprisingly, I don't really feel like going to the Food Festival today. Maybe I should make the recipe for atomic buffalo turds kindly donated by Jane instead. Or even research the aforementioned Viking story. Because guess what? My eldest son Erik has provided me with an unexpected and welcome lead on the saga of the Viking Poo.

Still Flooded

There is still flooding in York, which for me, means I can't cycle down the far side of the river as it is still submerged. For other people in town, the implications are more serious. The biggest York Race of the year was meant to be taking place at the moment, but flooding on the race course has made that so far impossible. The above scene of flooding was taken from Ouse Bridge. Below is a photo for comparison, of the same scene taken a few months back, in May this year.

Summer Flooding

Today I rode over the Millenium Bridge on my bike, ready to cycle down the river into town, on the opposite side from Terry Avenue. But then I came to an abrupt halt! Cycle path submerged, as are quite a few parts of York prone to flooding at the moment. There's an article in the York Press tonight about homes under threat of flooding too.