The rain had been constant for days, torrential with very few lulls. As much as 700 mm fell in some places due to a storm system that was static for the days and the result of this is major flooding once more.

Memories of 2011 haunted me and sleep eluded me too. The water came up to the second storey of the house and after listening to the media it seemed we were in for a repeat. Two days it took to get the shed emptied of valuables and raised up to the house deck. Everything from the new renovation downstairs had to be brought up to the second floor. I raised everything as high as I could and then packed the car with clothes, computers, tools and as much as I could get in.

Peter and Cheryl were kind enough to give me a bed, however they live about an hour away and as I left the house with the trailer on the back the rain was like a waterfall battering down on the car.

Getting out of Ipswich was a problem as most of the roads were cut off. Once I made it to the motorway anything over 80 kph was scary, so much water falling and also lying on the road, aquaplaning was the norm.

When I finally arrived I could hardly keep my eyes open or walk up the steps for that matter, I was knackered.