Friday, August 24, 2007

messing about in

boats



This was in the Cele - a tributary (or somethingorother) of (into?) the Lot.

If larking about in the pool was a work-out for the thighs, canoing wasn't half a work-out for the shoulders & biceps.




As Ratty says, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.



It was wonderfully green and dappled and tranquil, like another world...




















The river was full of these dazzling darting beauties with their irridescent bodies and smoky black wings. We thought they might be damsel flies - not sure, can anyone identify them? (picture will enlarge)




And i could have spent the whole day taking pictures just of the water.
(slide show will go faster/slower/pause with controls at bottom left)



I do like the Thames, really I do. But ....

17 comments:

Akelamalu said...

Absolutely love all your pictures Lettuce but that avenue of trees is just stunning.

Having been on the Thames just recently I know what you mean. ;)

Lynne said...

Lovely. Yes, I think it is a damsel fly. Dragonflies' wings are always carried out but damsels can tuck their wings in back of them. She's lovely!

tut-tut said...

Is that a house perched up there?

Anonymous said...

Oooh, you are back. These pics are making me exceedingly jealous having sat in the rain for what seems to be forever. Oh, it really is lovely. Still, I did take a trip to T K M to cheer myself up this morning. Fancy a visit soon? It seems to be getting better every week. Rather skint at the moment, so will go after pay day I reckon. Yeehar! I reckon it might be sunshiney at the weekend too. Hope so. Glad you had a great time - it looks fab.
Budxx

Mark said...

Hi Lettuce,
That was one of the things thet we planned to do but didn't quite work out.
The Dragonfly is a Demoiselle of some sort. It is very similar to the ones we get here, Banded and beautiful , but the wing colour is slightly different. You can see some on my web page www.dragonsanddamsels.com

Cheers Mark

Reya Mellicker said...

I LOVE canoes!! How fun.

And I love your pics of France. I've never seen such great pics of that country. I know you love London ... but ... you seem so at home in France.

BRAVO!!!

Pod said...

it looks like the entrance to a place i go sometimes in my dreams. love the leaf on water ones. oh to be drifting downstream....

Gary said...

I must say that this looks an awful lot like places in New Jersey. Are you sure that you were not really around the corner?

Looking forward to seeing you in April(ish).

herhimnbryn said...

Messing about on the river is so relaxing and your images convey that beautifully.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

the play of light, reflection and color in the water pictures is wonderful.... and thus it's easy to understand how one can spend hours just taking pictures of the water! isn't digital fantastic otherwise we'd all be in the poorhouse. you did a marvelous job of capturing the many moods of water.

lettuce said...

thanks Lamalu - this was the spot where we began the trip, but there were other woodlands planted in avenues along the river too.

i didn't know that lynne. They were very beautiful.

TT it is a house. Seems the french will build anywhere!

yay! visit from Bud! ooo yes i'll come to TK with you anytime. :0)
xx

Thanks for the ID Mark. I will come over and have a look.

thanks Reya. Yes, twas fun.

You have such great dreams pod. i was quite pleased with the leaf pics but couldnt' match the perfect hots i saw while my camera was packed safely away. ptb

um, i'm pretty sure Gary ;p
I had no idea NJ was anything like this. But then i don't know much about the USA really. Looking forward to learning more. ish.

hhb - it was so relaxing, moving water is so calming.

we would Kimy. Tho' i suspect i'd just not be taking pictures much at all. Vive le digital revolution.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful pics, took me back to this time last year with my daughters in-laws in the Dordogne. Great memories of a lovely place.

Steve Reed said...

Great photos! I'm ready for a canoeing expedition!

Shammickite said...

Remember that song "messing about on the river".... maybe you don't, it was popular on the radio ages ago, back in the dark ages I think.

When the weather is fine you know it's the time
For messin' about on the river
If you take my advice there's nothing so nice
As messin' about on the river
There's big boats and wee boats ands all kinds of craft
Puffers and keel boats and some with no raft
With the wind in your face there's no finer place
Than messin' about on the river

lettuce said...

hello lynette. are you another Brit i wonder? there were lots of brits in the Dordogne - and dutch too. Yes, a lovely place to remember.

ok steve, i'm ready to go again!

i don't remember that shammie, though we did listen to the radio a lot when i was a kid. Back in "olden days". We did sing tho.... "bobbing along bobbling along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea...."

Lori Witzel said...

Lovely pix -- for what it's worth, I think you caught a pic of the demoiselle Calopteryx virgo.

http://images.google.com/
images?hl=en&q=Calopteryx+virgo+&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

Lori Witzel said...

My bad...it may be splendens instead:
http://www.hlasek.com/
calopteryx_splendens_da7863.html