The rain

When I finished work on Saturday we went to Blackpool. We decided to stay over on Sunday night, thinking we'd head back early on Monday. This was a bad idea - we ended up flooded in Blackpool. We spent two hours getting eight miles down the road. We were stuck in traffic jams, because no one could get on the motorway. We tried to go down back roads, but we were going through increasingly large puddles. Water was coming up, like fountains, out of the drains. Once the puddles started threatening to come through the doors we headed back to my parents' house. It turned out the River Wyre had burst its banks, and there'd been a crash on the motorway.

The flooding's been crazy. Literally and metophorically it feels like the whole country could just float away. The water went off at my parents house, along with 20 000 other homes, and the hospital. Electricity has been out in some places. The economy is dying. The banks are going crazy - they're telling people not to spend, or take out their money. There's this horrible bug going round the entire country, too...my Uncle's had it, which isn't good when you're in your 90s and in close proximity to other elderly, infirm people. The government's asking people to quarentine themselves if they catch it - stay away from work until 3 days after your symptoms have gone.

Personal and collective escapism is needed at the moment. On a personal level we're in need of a break - we're fed up of being taken for granted. We're locking ourselves in the bedroom tonight and trying creative escapism. We've gotten in some Ben and Jerry's (Bohemian Rasberry), and we're watching a film which came free with The Independent (Newspaper): "Familia Rodante" (Rolling Family). Apparently it's the brazilian version of 'Little Miss Sunshine'. I am, therefore, excited!