Minnie’s Musings

The cottage came with two kayaks and a paddle boat as well as a box full of life jackets.

There was some debate over using this equipment. I forget what the issue was but it culminated in my rather testy observation that I was the one with the certificate so I could be trusted with a paddle and plastic dingy.

As stated previously, Best Beloved did swim for Middlesex and still has a good strong crawl and life saving skills. He didn’t feel the need for a life jacket and set forth the following morning to recce the lake. He found a duck and her sole remaining duckling sitting on a protruding log which he took a picture of.

I am less confident and struggle to breathe without a snorkel but I did put myself through one-to-one private lessons a few years back to get rid of bad habits developed over the years since my father flung me in the municipal pool in Montignac in the early 70s and told me to “kick, kick, kick”. So I fished out a life jacket, adjusted the straps and sallied forth.

What a wonderful time I had paddling around the glassy waters to view the neighbours outdoor furniture and peer through the reed beds in search of wildlife. I was told where to find the duck and her duckling but I think they got scared off by the exuberant American’s two docks up. I was careful to monitor the depth of the water to avoid beaching, identified pretty water lilies as flowers rather than the feathers of some unfortunate bird and kept my somewhat ridiculous cloth hat in place with a string.

My sister – as sisters do – found my cloth hat to be worthy of a bout snorted laughing as she considered it to be ridiculous. I put this down to jealousy and her own lack of hat. Mine may have lost some of its body by going through the wash one too many times, but it has a paisley lining and fits like a glove. She always wanted my black knee boots from Schu on Oxford Street too.