Floods and young footballing gods ...

Seeking a hole in the wall, I walked down a canyon of guest houses - I passed a pub called The Bee Hive - I knew that I would have to be in deep cover to drink Spun Gold there -

I gazed at Carlisle United's stadium - there was a statue of a young footballing god outside the gates - 

Warwick Road was an invisible river of diesel fumes - 

The hole in the wall was outside a Fort Apache newsagents - 

That morning, we'd heard about the flood - I was admiring a noble full English - 

Our landlady fixed us with the mesmerising stare of an Ancient Mariner -  

We were all in bed she said - I heard a police siren, going on and on - it was after midnight - I went downstairs - I looked out of the window - there was water everywhere - it just came in - more and more of it - it was all dark - there were no lights - 

That bridge you came over - that was completely under - the biscuit factory was flooded to the roof - the night shift was on at the time - all their cars were floating away - 

There was one old lady drowned down the road - two other people were killed  - 

We were shown a photograph of Warwick Road, each Victorian mansion like an ornate stone reef, lapped by a dark lagoon - 

We got it all spanking new afterwards - the insurance you see - some good came of it - 

09.00

July 14 2014

Courtfield Guest House

Carlisle