Fast flowing - the upper river Thames, near Kelmscott
The Thames near Inglesham - the last navigable point for boats...............
Today I went walking along the upper Thames near the lovely Cotswold town of Lechlade. A beautiful January day that started out cold and then became almost spring-like, lots of snowdrops out under trees. Later, in the afternoon sunshine, I spotted the first crocus.
The two photos above show the same river on the same day. In one it is tranquil, safe and calm, in the other it surges forward becoming a larger river, gathering tributaries along the way until it eventually becomes the mighty ocean. In so many ways life mirrors nature - going with the flow is usually so much easier than swimming against the tide, though there are times during the course of our lives when that is just what we have to do. And sometimes events flood over us and it becomes a case of sink or swim.
I like to think that, as with my walk today, eventually the river of life becomes calm and gently flowing. A place where the sound of birdsong can be heard, a smell of woodsmoke, and the first flowers of spring can be seen.
