This season's must-have fashion accessory in upmarket Henley-on-Thames is a pair of wellington boots. Everyone's wearing them as they stroll along the banks of the Thames between the squabbling geese, dozing ducks and wading birds which don't seem particularly upset at the sudden expansion of their habitat.

Notable unfashionable non-members of the wellington boot purchasing brigade include the Official Photographer, who had to wade backwards and forwards through the small flood above in a pair of ordinary ankle boots while lining up the best shot (and at one point dropped the map of the area in the water), and a young couple coming in the opposite direction in trainers (with the result that He had to carry Her through the floods; the Official Photographer was in a generous mood and didn't take their picture).

Henley is a rather attractive place as a general rule, with its bridge and its islands in the river and its lines of moored boats and of course its Regatta. However, recent weather has been inclined to highlight that several houses in the area are parked neatly about three feet above the ground on sturdy brick foundations, often with arches underneath.