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Summertime shenanigans — Tales from the Riverbank
Summertime brings a lively vibe to the river.
Holidaymakers arrive on huge leisure cruisers, paddle boards, and canoes. So far, the cruisers seem to have been fine navigating the city part of their adventures. It’s the inexperienced canoeists who seem to have the most trouble.
Having said that, yesterday, a rowing boat with three shrieking ladies rocked around roughly; they couldn’t seem to control it. How difficult is it, I thought, to row a boat? I’ve never done it myself, so I wouldn’t know. Thankfully, they all wore life jackets. We don’t often see rowing boats; perhaps they are out of fashion.
In winter, the river is quiet and serene. Wildlife takes over. In summer, humans take over.
The swans look on with impressive patience as canoes and paddle boards power towards them. The canoeists are more worried about their tipsy craft than if they bump a swan.
To date, not a single paddle-boarder has fallen in the river that I’ve seen. I find this remarkable, as a fair few have looked close to it. Sometimes a dog sits on the front of a paddle board; usually they appear pretty cool with the whole idea, but like their human counterparts, their abilities to stay still on the board vary. No dogs have fallen in either that I’ve seen.
