River Cam Granchester - Post Flood.

Last time I brought my sketch pad down here, sun shone brightly, walkers paced the bank - there was a lot of excited chatter in the background. That was almost exactly a year ago - high summer.

The grassy track is now a mud bath, the river flowing faster than I could punt upstream. Hardly anyone has come down here to enjoy their lunch, read or pass the time in pleasant company.

But I do hail the adventurous spirit of 4 youngsters, determined to keep School Leaving spirit up. Exams done, Balls danced and released from the fetters of education - the River Cam must be swum.

So with one on the bank and four - no, that would be 3 - three in the water, a bit of normality is returning to this sleepy bank.

In the background birds lift their chirruping above the distant, but sadly constant rumble, of traffic setting off down the M11 to London.

As I write this a spider has begun spinning his web dangling from my beard. He has mistaken me for some country hedgerow!

The sun is now out, ramblers have emerged from their lunchtime beverages. Time, methinks, for this ancient hedgerow to find a cup of tea.

Cedric & Max: Return to the Page.

I have not see much of Cedric nor Max recently, singularly uninspired in my sketching. But today, pleased as punch, they walked quite randomly back into a letter I was writing and sat down  at top and bottom corners of the page.

I say, 'sat', but indeed Cedric was swimming in the warm waters around his island.
Max was heartily singing Camp Fire Songs, standing maybe a bit too close to the fire for safety. I must speak to him about that.

The letter is almost finished now, but will be posted after Final Collection tomorrow to plop onto S's doormat on Saturday. I always aim for a Saturday delivery, so much nicer to receive a Hand Written Letter on a Saturday as the weekend is just kicking in.