There is a hypnotic fascination about watching moving water.A couple of nights ago I couldn't help but wonder at the stillness of the river in the early hours of the morning during a 3am raid on the kitchen.
So much of the waves during the day are not the result of wind or river flow but traffic. The abstract above is the wave from the first boat of the day spoiling the calm and creating this perfect wake behind. This wake will echo and scatter off the banks, bridges and moorings for at least an hour, added to by later boats and even the ripples produced by river birds as they land, wash, fish and take off. The Thames remains slightly disturbed all day long.
But at night, especially on calm days, the river is as flat as the proverbial mill-pond, flowing slowly yet still. One day I must take a picture to reassure myself this theory has evidence behind it and isn't the result of a half-asleep half-awake dream.
3 comments:
It's like early morning paddling on the Hudson - sometimes around slack, the water's like glass. Then all the ferries and stuff get going & it turns into total random chop. It's a little incredible when you do get that calm.
Beautiful discription. I especially like the analogy of the wake echoing and scattering against the banks and bridges.
I guess the Hudson must be very similar to the Thames.
The beauty of the water is a good reward for getting up early.
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