The River Severn in spate, in the bleak mid-winter

Helena wanted to get some air out of the Five Valleys so a short drive was called for. We hoped to go for an easy walk after picking up the wonderful organic keffir, very live yogourt, double cream and milk from Jess's Ladies Farm at Hardwicke. But the rain arrived sooner than forecast and the walk went on hold. Helena has blipped me posting money into the honesty box outside their Dairy Shed where their products are sold from. 

We hadn’t been out for a jaunt together for some time so the drive alone was worth it. To get to the farm means crossing over the Sharpness canal on one of its few swing-bridges. Once across the whole landscape changes and fewer people bother to go there. It is predominantly farm land and orchards in the Severn Vale on the river’s east bank with a few straggling hamlets, built of the local material, brick, rather than the limestone of the Cotswold hills nearby.

I took a long route home via the river bank at Epney, a usual haunt of mine. Normally I hope to see many birds there on the sands at low tide. Today was high tide and the river Severn was in spate with all the recent melt water and rain having flowed down from Wales. Looking over the flood protection wall close by the Anchor pub, which lies on the riverside, the water was flowing fast and sea-horses were forming in the strong wind where the river water was meeting the incoming tidal water from the sea. I thought I’d blip the scene looking downstream for my blip record having previously only shown this view in brighter light.

I then drove a couple of miles to see what boats were at Saul Junction on the canal. I parked the car opposite the boatyard where I spotted a functional boat called the Argyll Explorer, which is belonging to a company called Ocean Ecology, with a second boat with the word ’Survey’ written on it.  I’ve added a picture of them as an ‘Extra’. It seemed strangely appropriate because when Helena was a child her mother used to work as a scientist on ocean exploration boats based at Dunstaffnage, near Oban, in Argyll.