Knighton Festival of books, art, music and, as it happened, weather took place this week-end.

I was invited to give a talk about my book set in Mid-Wales, Iolo’s Revenge. I have been preparing it nervously for months. We set off early and Bill had studied the map — Shropshire was enjoying the heaviest rainfall since Catherine’s friend Laura got married and the church was cut off by flood water and the bride had to wade across fields in wellies!

Knighton station was closed — all the town’s four trains per day were cancelled because the line along the Teme valley was inundated. Stranded, bedraggled, young people with rucksacks were wandering the steep, wet streets. The ladies in the town’s cafes doling out tea, sympathy and all-day-breakfasts.

I boomed out the extracts from my book over their wonderful sound system, it sounded quite good, even to me and the select collection of stoical festival faithful laughed in all the right places and showed their interest with lots of intelligent questions and comments. I really enjoyed it!

Proper use of the flood plain next to the river Clun in Shropshire near Clununford. We found a road home that was passable though many others were not!