Say hello to my little friend

My favourite paddle.
A couple of years ago, just before The Great Canoe Hiatus, my ex mother-in-law sent me some money for my birthday. The sensible thing would have been to drop it into the bottomless pit of debt....but life's too short, let the Bank haggle over my ashes. Instead I spent it on a beautiful Grey Owl paddle. It's a thing of beauty and, more importantly, a joy to use. The moment you let it's handle snuggle into your palm it whispers seductively to you of river wanderings past and still to come. Lightweight and impossibly smooth, it cuts through the water as if it was part of the element.
On the river the other day Sally was eyeing it slightly dubiously as she and Colin paddled along in company with us. They were happily using perfectly serviceable aluminium and plastic paddles as they have for years and I think Sally was wondering why I went to the unnecessary trouble of carrying two paddles where one would do ( I switch to a cheaper one for shallows). "Give us a go then!" She requested and I duly passed it across the gap between boats and picked up my other one. As she put the blade into the water there was a little "Oh!" of revelation followed by several minutes of silence punctuated by little noises of pleasure. After the paddle was reluctantly returned to me she proceeded to express a new found desire and drop hints about her birthday.