Floods of tears? No - let's just get on with it!!

One of the most moving images of flooded Britain this week was of a couple in their eighties surveying their ruined cottage - once the centre of their world.  As the wife started to take crockery out of a mud-soaked cupboard she was asked what she thought of insurance companies  refusing to cover claimants who try to renew their home policies.

 Looking thoughtful she said: I can see their point. It must be costing them a lot of money to  repair all this damage.  

We witnessed no signs of self-pity , no  'look at us we have worked for this all our lives' - just humble acceptance of the situation.

Believe me, my heart goes out to everyone in Britain who has  suffered from the appalling floods, especially the sick and those with young children.

But I can't help thinking that some people might have come up with a very different cry: Who's going to pay for all this, then? What are we supposed to do now?

Back in the North West, the floods have reached no further than our back garden. We're lucky, I know, but we'd be luckier still if we had half as much courage as that amazing couple. Let's just hope they are getting all the help they need.

Noah had his ark in the right place!

It was Club Day  today in Lytham, Lancashire, where no-one stopped the carnival, despite the weather. An amazing array of floats appeared, full of freezing children  who had long-awaited this special day. Floats, in case you're not familiar with the word,  are lorries, boats, trucks or trailers - adorned with  flowers (mostly paper but sometimes real) - with the relevant church, club, school or studio emblazoned  for all to see.

As a cub reporter on my local paper in the early seventies, I dreaded the thought of covering Club Day.

'Just look up last year's report,' my fellow hack said helpfully, 'and change a few words  to suit the occasion.'  It was easier in those days. 'The sun shone brightly on this special June day as the carnival came to town...'  said the archives. I hardly had to change a word.

Today, the sun did not shine, and the floats might well have been on the water, so dire was the flood warning.  (Amber, according to the Met Office, means storms imminent.) But no, we survived, in true English spirit, as the band played on...

Supporters at a recent gala day in nearby Poulton-Le-Fylde

History is  going full circle. While we all limped home, drenched to the skin, Noah clearly had his ark in the right place.