A graceful
Broads angler |
The small
bright beady eye fixes on you before he stretches out great
feathery wings that leave long twig-like legs dangling beneath
him.
Graceful
yet so slow he might stall in mid-air, the heron departs his
waterside perch and crosses the river.
Looking
on, the lone cormorant perches high on the lifeless branch of
a dead tree surveying the activity below. A blue flash is the
only evidence that a kingfisher has just passed by whilst the
ducks noisily argue and chase each other in circles.
It might
seem a lazy way of spending time, going out on the Broads and
rivers that lace Norfolk and Suffolk together. The fact is,
it can be demanding, exhausting, exacting and altogether satisfying.
| "There's
no time to worry about the trivial matters of life - or
even bigger problems" |
Demanding
because nature never takes a break and there are certain rules
on water that must always be obeyed. Exhausting
(at times) when the chores outweigh your energy. There's endless
cleaning and scrubbing to be done if you want to keep your vessel
in good working order. Exacting
because the wind, the tide and the other vessels all demand
due care and attention if you're to avoid even the smallest
calamity.
All this
is compensated by the satisfaction of a safe passage,
a fine manoeuvre to a mooring place and the varied and glorious
scenery that changes with each stretch of water and throughout
the seasons.
Watching
out for herons, cormorants and the more rare species of wildlife
is something that grabs every guest on board. Messing about
on the river is like no other form of relaxation.
It occupies
all of your attention and so there's no time to worry about
the trivial matters of life - or even the bigger problems that
we have to cope with day to day.
more>>>
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