Yes, it’s been a long time. I am now back in harness, and in the past few weeks, have kayaked, canoed and sailed, all since my knee operation on Jan. 23rd.
Tony has done sterling work on the book in my absence, managing to complete the Liffey, Boyne and Inny during the winter, much of it in high and cold water.
I am heading over to Ireland (hooray!) on Weds. 29th for a week, and we are certainly paddling the Erne through Loughs Gowna and Oughter, and looking forard to camping on islands in peace and quiet.
It will be a welcome change from a whole winter inside for me! There have been some higlights - paddling with Griff Rhys-Jones early last November, my last pre-op trip, for his ‘Rivers’ series, to be screened sometime later this year. The story of the programme filmed in Scotland will be a coast-to-coast trip, west to east - no, he didn’t paddle it! It is a series of waterside stories along the route. The canoe trip we did was on the Tummel, down to Dunalastair reservoir, a super place, he paddling with my friend Mary Conacher, me behind paddling Ross, the producer, then the camera crew in a rubber dinghy (no comment), and then the safety canoeist.
The story was of them paddling safely through a blockage of trees there is at one spot, needing to be removed for safety. Griff then paddles off by himself with Cadbury, his dog, (having dumped Mary?) .
The end of the trip, with bright autumn sunlight, a snow-covered Schiehallion in the background, blue water, and autumn clours, was fantastic - should be good T.V.
In early March, on crutches, I attended a meeting of the Welsh Assembly Petitions committee, which met at the Scottish Parliament (yes, I know, confusing). The committee had received a petition from canoeists in wales over their lack of access to water, and had come north to hear of the Scottish experience. An interesting experience, the idea progresses, as the committee basically agreed that the current situation in Wales is untenable. Watch this space, a long way to do still.
All the best, back soon, after the Irish trip!
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