Flood Risk

I was up, packing my case and making breakfast before Thought for the Day this morning, as there was a lot to do before leaving for home at ten. Half a dozen trips down and uphill to load the car, three trips to the bins up and downhill with recycling and general rubbish. A fair amount of exercise to clear the head before saying farewell to Tenby, after a lovely restful week's holiday, and the weather was sunny and bright for the journey. We stopped at Pont Abraham for the first coffee of the day and got home at one. After unloading the car I cooked lunch while Clare reloaded the fridge with the rest of the food we took with us. Boil in the bag mussels with rice, and a mix of green beans chard and onion cooked with ground  nutmeg and coriander. This combination worked nicely, considering it was done in haste as both of us were hungry.

It took me a while to sort out, relocate and stow away the collection of chargers and leads for cameras and laptops taken with me, then I dozed in the chair while catching up on the news. Meanwhile cloud caught up with us from the west and robbed us of a sunny evening.

I went out to buy a few groceries at Tesco's and then did a circuit of Llandaff Fields. It was alrady getting dark, but I had an idea for a sketch of Cafe Castan, so I took a photo to remind me later. After supper and the Archers podcast, second edition. It's an interesting take on the continuing story of the world's longest running soap opera. Then I made a start on a pencil sketch of the Cafe, but didn't have the energy to finish it this evening. I stopped at nine to watch thus week's episode of Chateau Murders and started on the first of the fifth series of Usedom Murders, just anounced. One in Canadian French, the other in clear North German accent.

More heavy rain is on the way, combined with high tides increasing coastal lowland flood risk. A few days ago I saw a news article about building a huge battery electrical storage plant to accompany a new data centre in what I think is an old brownfield site off Rover Way in East Cardiff in the coastal plain. 

The river Rhymney flows out into the sea through that area. Agricultural land between Cardiff and Newport is very low lying and usefully absorbs flood water. A stretch of land in the vicinity the river will be more prone to flooding if concreted over by an industrial storage site. The Rhymney already has a three metre flood protection barrier, adequate for present need, but what about decades to come with the sea level rising and more unpredictable weather? I look forward hearing what kind of discussion there'll be about this concern, when detailed planning proposals for the new era of industrial development are aired.