… and the final scents of 5 days labour upon ”Rosemary” have been washed down the drains of our respective home showers, making their own way back to whence they came. The Thames. I find myself unable to concentrate at my desk having now cleared five days of emails and my thoughts refuse to remain on matters “work”.
Most of us are now ‘tache-less (although Craig I am sure will be keeping his), James (Splitty) now in Belfast delivering an intensive training course, Craig (Montmorency) and Jim (CaptSpam) in London “working” and myself (Toner) writing this from my desk in Birmingham as I fight the self imposed requirement to work.
Fondest memories include pulling up in a particularly serene spot for a break, Nick Drakes “Riverman” being put on the stereo as we all chill out for 20 mins and we share the moments and a smoke. The Tarzan rope on one of the islands around Sonning Common in my spotty underpants. The joy of two men skulling in tandem and time, keeping rhythm for up to an hour. Jim’s command of our language disappearing for moments and the potential for double entendre such as “half past thirty” and “James, I’m now ready for your warm shower” (refering to the portable “camp” shower, in reality a bag of water that should heat up in the sun). The look on Craigs face every time we passed a pub on the river and Splittys unbeleivable ability to remain cheerful at all times (until the heebegeebies set in on Weds morning). Watching Jim try to work out what he has just trodden in and why it continues to wriggle between his toes as he observes his foot by the camp fire.
A great time that must be done again. Next time from London to Oxford (Lechlade), for I think we all agreed that JKJ had it right in the book. Getting away from the rigours of life, certainly the modern life we lead, gets easier and more apparent the further away from London you go. It’s amazing how much fun life can be without the modern appliances, sophisticated systems, the media and rigid rule sets we believe we need. What we found was that 4 men, a boat, a single gas ring burner, a guitar and a tent and a common desire to find a smile was recipe for one of the best and most memorable experiences we could have asked for. Simply brilliant!
Thank you to all of you (Hi Ho, Hi Ho - quack quack)
Toner
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