Waterborne wonderment

We had a lovely little boat trip today. Totally unplanned (until about 10pm last night). But with the weather forecast set as 'Sunny intervals with a moderate breeze. Highs of 7C' we decided to book something we had talked about doing loads of times, but never got round to. So this morning I got to do one of my most favourite things in the whole world - make a picnic lunch for the family! - and we pootled off to 'Reynolds Rivercraft' and then pootled off up the river in one of their 'Day Cruisers'. Not an elaborate, ostentatious boat, it has to be said, but more than enough for our needs. An onboard toilet, a fridge, a kettle, a little sitting area, and a cabin bit where the driver (or I believe they are known as 'pilots' on ships) could sit comfortably while desperately trying to look confident in his abilities to steer this bloody thing safely. There were a few worrisome moments when Mathew seemed determined to ignore any and all warnings and plunge himself into the icy waters, but on the whole it was a lovely, relaxed, fun family afternoon full of giggles and delights. We saw swans, we saw geese, and we had a rather enthusiastic mallard that must have thought we were suddenly the most important thing on the river and kept landing on the front of our vessel, staring in at us as if trying to hypnotise us into providing food, and looking very much like a cheap, bizarre figurehead from seafaring boats of days past. There weren't too many other people about (which I, as the unhappily designated driver for the day, was relieved about as it meant there were less people to worry about bashing into) but the ones who were afloat alongside us all seemed smiley and satisfied. We kept a running total of the numbers who waved back to us and the ones who didn't - naming them 'Wavers' and 'Humbugs' on the scorecard (I suggested 'Wavers' and 'Wankers' but Philippa wouldn't go for that one) - and I'm pleased to say that the Wavers far outnumbered the Humbugs. Mathew was pleased with that too. He sat on my lap for a while and I let him use the steering wheel, much to his absolute joy. He ended up ploughing us through some riverside reeds and at one point we nearly ended up taking out a fishing jetty (which he later admitted he had aimed for deliberately) but apart from that, he did rather well for a six-year-old with no experience of operating vehicles.
The hardest (and perhaps most hilarious) bit for me was when we got back to Reynolds little boatyard, and I had to navigate our craft down a ridiculously narrow entry way and then turn it around before mooring it side-on near their office. You see, they give you a 5-minute lesson when you arrive, then send you off upriver, then you're expected to remember what you have to do six hours later when you get back. I found my memory, hand-eye co-ordination and confidence all deserting me at the same time, and it took a good five minutes of to-ing and fro-ing before I could get the bloody thing anywhere near the landing post. Nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing, and has left me feeling rather exhausted, mentally.
A great day, though. Possibly the finest of the year so far...

RC 19-2-25