Reading Roars!

Another flood update has been released by Reading Borough Council.  Waters at Reading have risen, but only slightly.  They are expected to rise again tomorrow morning:

The Environment Agency have put the River Thames at Reading on Flood Warning (along with almost all of the surrounding areas including Sonning, Twyford, Caversham, Wargrave, Charvil etc). The Environment Agency has now advised that the waters at Reading have risen slightly, are expected to rise again early on Thursday morning 26 July, but to a lesser degree than previously predicted. However, residents and businesses are advised to keep their flood precautions in place until the Environment Agency issue the all clear.

There is now less risk of disruption to travel.

Does anyone have unusual flood pics they can send me, for publishing on this blog?  Also, are there any Reading readers with interesting flood-related stories to tell?

Did you know… that Reading, PA in the United States was flooded in June 2006?  The Office of the Mayor issued the following flood emergency advisory:

Reading (June 28, 2006) - The Mayor has declared a flood emergency in the City of Reading. The Schuylkill River has reached flood stages of 22.14 as of 9:10 a.m. Wednesday and is predicted to crest at 23’ during the evening of Wednesday, June 28th, a decrease of what was previously predicted by the National Weather Service.

The City of Reading Water Authority has advised that flooding on the Maiden Creek is causing the shutdown of the primary pumping station that supplies water to its distribution system. Residential customers in all municipalities served by the Reading Water Authority are asked to begin immediate conservation of water by curtailing all non-essential usage. Industrial customers are asked to cease all non-essential operations until further notice.

This situation does NOT currently impact the safety of anyone’s drinking water.

All citizens of the city are asked to assist in areas that need to be evacuated and to be aware of detours throughout the area.

Residents are asked to stay away from flooding areas as they may be contaminated or present unseen dangers.

Sections of the Route 422 bypass and some of the bridges may be closed; expect delays and plan alternate routes if it is necessary for driving. Please consult media outlets for traffic advisories.

Images can be seen on the Reading PA Fire Department website.

A little late, perhaps, but here are some pictures taken in Reading after it really, really poured last Friday (the above was snapped at the Overdown Road/Kentwood Hill roundabout in Tilehurst - a lady can be seen gingerly crossing the flooded road):

• Water sloshes about as cars approach a flooded Overdown Road/Kentwood Hill roundabout
• Traffic grinds to a halt at the same roundabout (check out the 2 4×4 vehicles - they don’t look so bad now)
• A flooded Oracle riverside, though this actually occurs several times a year (it happened earlier this year already)

As I write, the streets of Reading are bathed in glorious afternoon sunshine.  Very pleasant and very much what we expect (hope) to see at this time of year.

Visitors have been streaming in today as a result of the flood notice I posted yesterday.  I was wrong about my traffic forecast: today vehicles flowed smoothly (have the school summer holidays begun already?) and I saw only very mild flooding around the river at Thames Valley Park, glinting in the sun, suggesting that the predicted deluge was moving very slowly indeed.

Here is the latest warning issued by Reading Borough Council:

The Environment Agency have put the River Thames at Reading on Flood Warning (along with almost all of the surrounding areas including Sonning, Twyford, Caversham, Wargrave, Charvil etc). The Environment Agency has now advised that the waters at Reading are expected to rise early on Wednesday morning 25 July, but to a lesser degree than previously predicted. However, residents and businesses are advised to keep their flood precautions in place until the Environment Agency issue the all clear.

There is now less risk of disruption to travel.

* For February 2009 flood information, please visit the Environment Agency website. *

You probably know this already, but because of the wet weather we have been experiencing recently the Thames river level in Reading is expected to rise in the early hours of Tuesday morning.  The following flood warning has been issued by Reading Borough Council:

The Environment Agency have put the River Thames at Reading on Flood Warning (along with almost all of the surrounding areas including Sonning, Twyford, Caversham, Wargrave, Charvil etc). The Environment Agency has revised it’s warning and advise that the waters at Reading are expected to rise at approx 2pm on July 24. Residents and Businesses in affected areas are strongly advised to take all possible precautions against flooding now. It is expected that there will be disruption to travel over the next few days so plan your journey carefully and avoid all unnecessary travel in the area.

The last sentence makes me nervous.  Travel within Reading is already a headache (this afternoon the commute home from Thames Valley Park, not a zillion miles away, took far longer than usual).  Tomorrow it could be severe.  I guess I will be walking, then.

Reading Roars! is now 2 years old.  I’ll probably have a pint this weekend to mark this unlikely anniversary.  Join me, if you like.

I went to Reading’s new cocktail bar Mix last night and enjoyed it. The cocktail menu was interesting, though many of the drinks looked very sugary to me. The bar was elegantly designed and there were cream sofas, pink walls, chandeliers, mirrors and flowers. All very feminine, in other words. Four bartenders did their best to mix cocktails despite having “only half the ingredients” and the movie Sin City was displayed on the wall behind them. Tres chic.

There were a number of other customers at Mix who appeared quite smart. About 90% of guys present were drinking beer, despite the novelty of drinks available. It’s possible that they saw cocktails as something for the ladies.

I wasn’t so fussy. I had a cocktail. Two, in fact: a berry mojito - a mojito with a reddish strawberry/raspberry syrup (not sure what they’d make of that one in Havana), and a deep, fruity Slivovitz and Cointreau with assorted pieces of fruit, elderflower and a couple of other things. Result: pretty good. The fruity concoction in particular tasted rich and strong, and very probably wouldn’t appeal to the majority of people who I suspect have sweeter, lighter tastes.

Prices started at £4.95 for a cocktail, though cheaper drinks (£3.50, I believe) are on offer between 5pm and 8pm on a Monday and Tuesday. Most appeared to cost £5.95 or £6.95.

If you’re reading this post now (early Saturday evening), why not give Mix a try tonight? Last night it wasn’t very busy. I’m sure that in 6 weeks time, the place will get very crowded indeed.

A sparkling new cocktail bar in the heart of Reading is to open its doors to the public on Friday evening.

Mix, located at The Walk near The Oracle, looks very similar in style to London’s opulent Jewel and Vanilla. Big chandeliers hang from the ceiling and there is very a large and ornate mirror for the very vain (it also helps to make the somewhat small venue look bigger).

I suspect that Mix is a bar that will appeal mostly to women and, in particular, WAG wannabes (it’s also conveniently close to the shops). However, get a posse of dazzling young ladies in a room together, sipping margaritas and mojitos, and the guys will surely follow (though I doubt that Carling and Fosters will be on offer).

Instead, I imagine that there will be a fantastic drinks menu, with classic, Champagne and contemporary cocktails listed, and expert mixologists who could pour a Cuba Libre blindfolded.

After years of Mickey Mouse cocktails served in Reading’s bars, I’m delighted that another bar dedicated to the art of creating these amazing, fascinating drinks is opening in town (the others I can think of are Cerise and Sahara). But why didn’t you Mix folk invite me to your launch party on Wednesday night?

I was wondering… are there any readers of this blog who own or manage a small business?  Or who are interested in Microsoft products/technologies?

The reason I ask is because a Microsoft blog was launched recently with information specifically for small businesses, located at the following address: http://blogs.technet.com/smallbusiness.  Now, I’d rather not blog about irrelevant subjects on Reading Roars! i.e. anything unrelated to Reading, so I do feel I’ve broken a big rule here (unless you consider the fact that MS are located just outside of Reading).  However, I’m quite excited about the MS blog and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and suggestions for improvement/content.

The blog will feature submissions from a number of people at the company (not just myself!), covering technology topics such as online marketing and advertising, hardware and software.  And I shall speak of it no longer.

Reading FC’s achievements last season reminded me of Getafe CF’s exploits in Spain’s La Liga.  Indeed, both clubs have a few things in common.

Getafe is a small club just south of Madrid (and Reading is a relatively small club west of London).  Both towns have similar populations - 156,000 in Getafe’s case and there are 144,000 people in Reading.  Both towns have good universities.

Getafe, like Reading, pulled off some stunning results.  Both clubs are managed by relative unknowns (until recently) of a very similar age (48 and 51), though Getafe’s Schuster has just joined Real Madrid (I guess this would be like Coppell going to Man United).  Both managers played for top clubs in their prime - Coppell for Man United and Schuster for Barcelona.  And both clubs achieved good results last season against those clubs - Reading versus Man United and Getafe when they met Barcelona.

Perhaps the two clubs should consider playing each other in a friendly?