After a couple of days of heavy rain and floods, Andrea took advantage of the improvement in the weather to go on a long walk. She decided upon a route down by the river, not least because she knew it would likely be severely flooded… She would almost certainly need a pair of waders if she was to remain dry, which is precisely why she chose to wear a pair of faux leather trousers, her rubber riding boots and a mid-length leather coat, instead ;) . Just as she’d expected, the path across the flood plain was full of puddles, some of which were more than knee deep, but the path was the path and so she followed it precisely. Within five minutes of leaving the car she was wet to her mid-thighs! Of course, it was early Summer and pleasantly warm, so boots full of water and wet leather trousers sticking to her legs were nothing but an enjoyable experience. She was shocked to see the huge trees that had recently been swept down the river by the swollen flow, but when she got to the main river crossing – which is supposed to be “a knee deep splash” according to the map – she waded straight across with the water coming up over her waist. After taking a rest by sitting in the mud at the side of the river, she rinsed herself clean and wandered back towards the car, taking a slightly different route. On the way back she encountered a very clear pond in the field – you could see that the bottom was firm and smooth – it was perfect for a swim! The pond turned-out to be a lot deeper than she expected, but she swam for many minutes as a rain shower passed overhead; it was great. Tired, and soaked from head to toe, she clambered out of the pond and returned to the car with water streaming out of the lining of her coat and squirting out of her boots with every step she took. That was a very enjoyable walk indeed!