This is a film made by a local man of a year in the life of his household and neighbours in the village of Acaster Malbis.  The film features his house and the camping and caravan site which both back onto the River Ouse.  There is also footage of the river flooding and his family at Christmas.  Throughout the film, the filmmaker provides running commentary, usually in a humorous fashion. The film begins with a picture postcard of a country cottage, followed by a road sign for Acaster Malbis....

This is a film made by a local man of a year in the life of his household and neighbours in the village of Acaster Malbis.  The film features his house and the camping and caravan site which both back onto the River Ouse.  There is also footage of the river flooding and his family at Christmas.  Throughout the film, the filmmaker provides running commentary, usually in a humorous fashion. The film begins with a picture postcard of a country cottage, followed by a road sign for Acaster Malbis.  In his commentary, the filmmaker states that it is January, 1982, and Acaster Malbis is “the Queen of watering places.”  The sound of chickens can be heard in the background.  The neighbouring campsite and fields are all flooded.  Some ducks swim across flooded fields to a group of people feeding them.  A woman and man are in a rowing boat and larking about.  One of the inhabitants, Gordon, delivers the papers in a tractor.  With the help of a policeman, the two in the rowing boat rescue an elderly woman from the snow covered post office.  The filmmaker speaks to a woman stood outside the post office, Marianne, “filming on behalf of ABC.”  He asks various locals how they feel about the floods.  One of them takes a photo of the filmmaker.  A helicopter flies overhead.  In the distance there is a large boat in the flooded field.  Another woman gets rescued by boat from her marooned house. The film switches to show people boarding a North Sea Ferry for Rotterdam.  This is followed by a man driving a small digger.  Then it switches to the river where a woman camper from Holland is feeding ducks, then the pet cat, Smudgy, lies on the lawn of the house that backs onto the River Ouse.  At the campsite some Morris Dancers prepare themselves for a dance in York.  The filmmaker exchanges some banter with campers from Norway, who then sail of along the river in several rowing boats made in the old Viking way and in Viking dress, accompanied to the music of Dvořák’s New World Symphony.  Then a barge passes by for John H Whitaker (Tankers) Ltd of Hull. A group of builders are working on a new house next door to the filmmaker’s house. A light aircraft takes off from a small airfield.  One airplane on the ground is called ‘Redapple’.  He speaks to some of the pilots flying private planes, including Jan who is laid underneath her plane.  He then goes up in a plane ride himself.  They fly over the local area looking down on the River Ouse, over York and over his own house in Acaster Malbis.  Several campers leave the campsite, and then one of his neighbours, Doris, is in her garden painting some of the wildlife.  Other neighbours play with their pet puppy Dalmatian, Snoopy. The next part of the film features a formal dinner to celebrate the wedding anniversary of a local elderly couple, with one of them making a speech.  The two of them then do a dance.  Then the film shows the river and area near his house as Autumn approaches before going back to the house being built nearby, nearly complete. The film moves on to Christmas with an extended family in the sitting room.  Here, they sit around a coal fire and open their Christmas presents.  Next is Christmas dinner.  Everyone is seated at tables in the dining, and they are all wearing paper hats, make toasts, and generally joke around.  The dog is in the back garden.  This is followed by a couple of women in the snow who pull a sledge carrying their belongings.  They pull the sledge through the caravan site to the newly built house.  After the snow has cleared, a pheasant walks around in the garden, keeping the cat, Smudgy, at bay. Title – The End Dec. 1982 There is then a ‘P.S.’ showing more flooding of the river.  A couple of young campers gather up their belongings as the water creeps towards their tent.