This painting was part of a series I did to record the floods at Cookham when the River Thames burst its banks in 2014. I painted it en plein air, battling against the wind. I had to stop the easel blowing over towards me with the palette. Whilst painting I was very conscious of the seagulls shrieking and the clacking of the halyards on the masts at Cookham Sailing Club. I was frozen to the core and my hands became so cold that I found it hard to pack up the easel. Most of it was painted on site but I did have to work on it at home.