It was cold today. Not freezing but cold enough to notice that winter was flying towards us as fast as it could. It wasn't a dull day either, the sun was out. Shining bright all day. It tried its best to heat everything up; it just doesn't have the power this time of year to make a decent job of it. Hanging low in the sky, it seems to be like the dentists light, always just at the right angle to burn right to the back of ones eyes. In all the time I have done this, I can't seem to remember a time when the sun didn't put in an appearance in on a Saturday. The temperature is only going in one direction now and that is down. I remember seasons and how they used to roll gradually from one to another. These days it seems like there are only two; winter and spring. Still, if you love being outdoors like me, the weather is the background, the setting for our particular adventure that day. The same old Saturday paddle can be completely changed by it.
I saw some people capsize their Kayaks. You could tell they regretted it straight away. Cold water has a knack of revealing peoples true personalities almost immediately. It can make the roughest, toughest person panic uncontrollably and the most timid person reveal that true inner steel that only shows it on special occasions. Being immersed in cold water does the same thing to us all. It takes our breath away, increases our heart rate dramatically and sets every nerve on our skin firing like a machine gun. It reminds us that we are still alive. It's October. The water shouldn't be this cold already. It's the way you feel it pulling the heat out of the air that gets me the most. All the microscopic life forms have died off now. This makes the water go crystal clear. If only there were colourful things to see instead of the various shades of greys and greens that the inhabitants of the Mersey have chosen for the winter season.
The leaves are falling from the trees. They land on the water and float for a time before...