Canal

"O sisters let's go down
Let's go down, come on down
O sisters let's go down
Down in the river to pray"

Alison Krauss - Down To The River To Pray
Written by Lawson


The canal threads it's way through our landscape and connects so many communities from Newport up to Brecon, small hamlets, villages, towns and the city of Newport. This section is overgrown with lilies and supports quite a community of ducks, mostly dozing on the bank when I wandered past. Some were so accustomed to people they just sat there within a foot of the path I was walking.

It's been a part of my landscape, my world for almost as long as I can remember. It's a place I'd go to when I found the world a difficult place, when I was afraid and needed comfort.

Walking the towpath now is therapeutic, a balm when a calm perspective is needed. It has a mysterious effect on the psyche, Nature is calming and restorative, the sights and sounds of life - the little Moorhen chick following its' parent, the Buzzard circling overhead - and occasionally a Kingfisher [although they are usually easier to see when there's less foliage!].

Today I met someone who'd been collecting blackberries - a plastic Celebrations chocolates tub full of big, ripe berries. I'd seen her crossing the canal with the aid of some children, passing them the tub and tottering precariously across the stonework. Her feet slipped into the water a couple of times but she seemed happy enough with her "booty". Simple pleasures.