Page 268 - She's One Crazy Lady!

268
How your he“
ice, rain and sun! When the weather forecast was not looking good our stress levels rose! Twice we had to postpone through snow – one when ‘The Beast From The East’ rolled in where we spent two days on our phones ringing everyone! Facebook and other social media platforms were a Godsend! The staff at Wicksteed Park were so accommodating in helping us to rearrange the dates – one (after snow) rearranged for an evening event, which went surprisingly well, considering the heavens having opened! – and the other for later in the year, in May, which proved to be a far better time to hold this kind of event.
One year I remember arriving at the Park, when it was still dark, to be greeted by one of the Rangers asking if I had my phone with me. Yes, but why? It had rained incessantly during the night and the lower part of the Park was flooded. The Ranger told me we would have to postpone! With almost 2000 walkers soon to descend on us there was no way we could contact everyone in such a short space of time and I told him to think about the congestion of cars outside the Park which often happened. He took me in his Land Rover to have a look at the flooded areas and eventually we agreed to shorten the walk by asking people to keep
to the railway tracks and not venture down to the bottom flooded areas. It wasn’t ideal but walkers were very obliging – well some of them were! Sywell aerodrome had offered us the use of a helicopter + pilot that day for Jo to film and take aerial shots. Jo gathered wonderful footage – of walkers ignoring the floods gaily walking through the water, thoroughly enjoying themselves!
My sister wrote me one of her lovely letters .... (she was, and is, very good at these and I’ve told her many times that she, too, should put pen to paper and write her memoirs...)
“Nothing could have prepared us for the awful weather that greeted us at the dawn of this year’s walk having lain awake all night listening to the rain lashing down, praying it would stop. Standing with the wind howling and the rain still pouring down, I looked at you, drenched to the skin, utterly despondent, the Park flooded, the whole Walk being in danger of being a washout, twelve months planning wiped out as driving rain still fell. There was still plenty to do, boxes to unload, paperwork to sort out, signs to go up, guests to welcome, people to organise.
Nine o’clock, just an hour to go. Usually by now there would have been a lot of early arrivals. All I could see were three people walking across the car park, hanging on to their hats and umbrellas – only about another 2,000 to go! Oh, boy! The responsibility! How your heart must have been sinking. The frustration with the weather must have been crushing for you – it was all looking pretty hopeless.
art must have been sinking. The frustration with the weather must have been crushing for you – it was all looking pretty
hopele”
ss.