A meeting on the banks of the Severn

Today was less busy than usual, so I decided to go shopping for tofu and other assorted goodies in Gloucester, and then to have a wander in the car. By the time I set off the drizzly weather had receded and outbreaks of sunshine was forecast for the afternoon. I headed directly west and as I did so, the idea of going down to the banks of the River Severn seemed very appealing.

On the way I had to pass a rather hateful garden centre, built like a mall, but I thought I would check if they had any Morning glory plants which had suddenly come to my mind this morning. I have grown them a few times and had the urge to decorate our back steps down into the garden with their wonderful daily blooms. The staff (who were trying to be very helpful) had a vague idea that they had some amongst all the other typical boring plants you get in such places, and eventually someone located them on a remote stand. Sadly they were priced at £8 for a package of a couple of plants trained up some small sticks, but that was not what I wanted.

So off I went to the river listening to loud music and generally feeling rather good. I headed straight for Framilode Church which I have visited before, as there is parking right beside the church on the banks of the river in a very quiet spot. As gathered my camera gear from the car, another pulled up beside me. A man got out and immediately asked me if that was Westbury in the distance ,on the far side of the river, towards the Forest of Dean. I went back to my car and got my map out and we worked out where Westbury was (out of sight, behind a hill, but not far away, as it happens) and then we proceeded to chat for more than half an hour.

I already had my camera round my neck ready to start taking pictures of the housemartins, which I knew resided in the eaves of the church tower just behind us. Dave H., as it turned out, was a local man from Gloucester, who had come to the nearby village to price up a building job. But as he said, he was much more interested in standing with me talking about whatever came to mind, than rushing back to work. It turned out that he had recently researched his family and found that they had been successively longboatmen on the River Severn, going right back to the 1750s. He said that he would try to imagine how they would have seen their world, and we were standing on its banks. It occurred to us that it probably wasn't very different from the views we had today.

Our conversation then headed off to the wonders of recently discovered deep water organisms found in the oceans, and then pondered the wonders of space, stars and then on to the equally huge microscopic world, which is all around us if only we had the eyes to see it. We had some good laughs together and both agreed it was a timely meeting, the sort that we both enjoy; the unexpected and somehow meaningful connection people can have when they are open to contact.

Before heading off, I asked Dave if I could take his picture and said I might put it on a website. He was happy for me to take the pictures but he certainly wasn't going to waste time looking at a computer.

I then crossed to the other side of this flood prevention wall and walked about ten yards down the slope of the riverbank to the muddy edge where the high tide reaches. I stood there for ages as the housemartins flew very close overhead and seemed to be seeking out insects that might be on the mudflats at the low tide. I did get some interesting pictures of them in flight, banking and swirling about with the lovely sound of their chattering in the background from where they were taking food up the their young in the nests under the church's eaves. I had a great time, and am very glad to have met Dave.