Water - November 2012

Tonight the moon is full and accompanied by his side-kick Jupiter.  It shines a silvery light almost as bright as daylight onto the river which rushes passed. A river in spate is hypnotic, especially by the light of a full moon.  In fact a river in spate is interesting at all times.  The way it’s gushing over the lock gates, the way it’s turned the hotel car park into a weir and is coming in through the tradesman’s entrance and flooding out the front door.  From the gate at the top of the hill there is a view of endless water, where once was green it is now a wet grey.

Lock Landing

 

The Environment Agency call to say that the lock landing at Lilford has escaped and is heading in our direction.  If it comes motoring downriver at a great rate of knots and slams into the boats on the bend it could cause serious damage.  But are the boaters worried? No, they’re pleased. They have all sorts of plans for a good solid fifty foot floating lock landing, the chances of the EA getting it back if it washes up here seem to be slim. In fact they can think of so many essential uses for it that it makes one wonder how we had ever managed without one in the first place.

All the plans come to nought because the lock landing doesn’t arrive.