Whilst in Scotland, I couldn't help but see the remains of the devastation of the flooding. However, I chose not to drive around looking at it, as I felt it was intruding on people's privacy and grief whilst they tidy up and pick up their lives again. The people who have moved into our house in Ballater are lovely people and very happy to have somewhere warm and dry to live whilst they dry out and rebuild their home - which will take 7-8 months! They continue to smile in the face of adversity. Braemar, where my dad lives, did not suffer any damage to homes. Nonetheless, this is the road where my dad lives - looking up river (river is on the left of this fence). I don't know if you can appreciate it without knowing the area, but this is how high the floodwaters came - right over the road, about 5 foot high. Dad was lucky not to get flooded - he lives on a mill right on the side of the Clunie river. Fortunately, the river forms a fairly steep sided gorge there and although he was very nervous as he watched it rise, it never reached the basement of his house. He lost everything which was sitting in the garden (which sits below the level of the house) though - cement mixer, anvil and all the stones from the patio. He was lucky. Uploaded for my odds and sods album.
