Canoeing on the Avon

Saturday dawned – cold and frosty. But that didn’t stop us getting up early for our canoe trip along the Avon and Kennet canals. Harry’s late Friday night almost did though – he went to a farewell do at work and tried to ring me to come and get him but we forgot that we don’t get cell phone reception at the back of the house. I was half reading a book and half thinking about going to sleep when our new land line rang and it was Harry saying he was ready to come home. By the time I had answered the phone, I had two text messages (one on my cellphone and the other my work one) to say ‘someone had rung but didn’t leave a message'. It was very frosty driving along and as we drove through Bath I thought I saw icebergs in the Avon River!! It was foam from no idea what but shows what a little bit of frost on the grass and trees does to the imagination. (I think I had just also read that canals in Amsterdam freeze over). We found Bradford on Avon fairly easily, a sleepy little hollow but very pretty. As the sun tried to come out we got into our canoe and paddled towards Bath. We were in a Canadian Canoe - we had never tried them before - but both of us decided very quickly that we far prefer kayaks. The canal was a picture – frost on the Old Man’s beard and trees, still water where canal boats were berthed with their inhabitants sleeping and oblivious to the beautiful morning. Trees shed their leaves as we paddled past, birds landed in the water as we stopped just to admire a peaceful and picturesque view. Was it cold?? And then it started to rain – not huge drops – but enough for us to be pleased we had bought winter woollies and our wet weather gear and to make it very cold. Our feet were frozen and when we stopped for morning tea, we could hardly scramble out of the canoe (it didn’t help we were laughing so much). Harry made the tea under the bridge out of the rain while I stood in the rain standing on the canoe rope so we wouldn’t lose it. We drank our cups of tea while shaking and wondered if this was the right day to canoe - a bit late!! We decided to turn around and chose under the bridge (well it was dry) but found that the bridge was not as wide as the canoe was long - so our three point turn turned into a reverse and a bit further forward trick.

What a great trip - well it was now that it was over and the frozen kiwis could sit near a log fire eating cottage pie and fish and chips. We took our time reading the newspaper and then remembered how early it gets dark so regretfully decided to go for a wander around Bradford on Avon. We had downloaded some information historic things to see so we wandered around the town up narrow lanes and across bridges. We looked in vain for the gasworks but then read that 'they used to be where the modern apartment block now stood'. Had a wonderful time nosying in gardens - the public walk way went right through a row of houses and their gardens, looked at Mary Tory church on top of the hill and then found a cute little 1675 villa to have a devonshire tea at. Not that we were hungry - still a bit cold and the log fire so tempting. Bradford on Avon is a textile town - and many sites were where mills (that washed the cloth), spinners, wool and cotton merchants, clothiers, manufacturers etc once stood and sold their trade.

So, many people have said that Christmas is different over here. It is true. Its now dark by 4.00 and you can see all the Christmas lights as you go home. (There aren't many in Bristol as the retailers have refused to pay and the council don't want to spend too much money - but some of the little towns are beautifully lit up). Wrapping up and coming inside to a log fire somehow makes it feel more Christmassy. We're even putting up christmas decorations in one room and thinking of mulled wine. Talking about Christmas as we walked through a Tithe Barn (which had a wooden roof shaped like a church), and across a very old bridge used only by packhorses, we came across Father Christmas and Prancer and Dancer. We had read the day before that Prancer and Dancer may not be able to come to Bradford on Avon due to the Bluetongue scare. Their farm is just half a mile from the exclusion zone and the farmer had to find someone else to look after them until the ban had been lifted if they transported Father Christmas to the party. Seems like some good soul volunteered to have them.

Sunday proved to be a much better day for canoeing - beautiful and sunny - but we think once was enough and so we did some domestic things like lawns and a bit of cooking and cleaning and then went for a drive out to Yate. On the way we stopped at Ikea a huge shop which I was told sold curtains. Why do I never listen to myself - never go shopping on a weekend - I will repeat it in my sleep and it just might sink in. Ikea is like a mega warehouse but sells amongst heaps of other stuff huge kitset furniture that every second person was trying to load onto a trolley and then navigate around rows of shoppers. We couldn't find our way out - it is a bit like a huge maze - and we had to meander through rows of things we had no intention of buying. Relieved we drove to Yate in the diminishing sunlight to find not alot but enjoyed the trip. Interesting things this week are that the Australian elections didn't get a mention in the news and that 12.5 kilometres of books are added to the British Library every year (they have to have one copy of every book published) and they are building a huge warehouse that will hold over 500 kilometres of books (if you stood them all in one row).