First paddle in a while

 It's just past the middle of January,  high summer,  and i haven't had a paddle for access. Probably due to bursitis in my right shoulder and being too busy working on my Land Rover and  helping out with my daughter's horse business. 

And with the truck now going okay, kind of like someone with a skinful of rum insists they're sober and wobbles in a straight line, okay. But I fitted a rear roof rack 2 weeks ago just in the off chance,  you know . And today,  my time came and ignoring the heat,  I loaded my Riot C-Kayak and hit the river. 

It hadn't lost any weight since our last outing,  but thankfully the body was holding up.  Keeping It Simple, it was jist the basics, no snacks, just water and a hat. I'd waylaid my preferred lifevest so made do with a dangly item that was supposed to self inflate,  but by the look of the corrosion on the gas bottle,  I doubt that.  The river was glassy with a steady ebb flow,. The turgid colour indicating that it was probably hangovers runoff from a really wet Xmas. 

What is that,  that sense of elation as you shove off  away from land. I first felt it when i got my first trailer sailor,  42 years ago.  Rush through traffic,  rig her up,  back her off , park the ute, climb on, hoist sail then aaahh. I feel it mostly in the shoulders,  like a release off pressure,  a raising on the heart in the chest cavity and an easing of my breath. Ithappened today too, to be sure.  Just a few strokes, the shoulders working painlessly, the satisfying pull of the paddle and the glide of the hull over the water. Pretty quickly, I realised my physical excuses for not paddling were overstated. Probably being in pain the negativity enveloped me. Oh well I'm  here now, and  it feels good. 

To preserve energy I paddled on the shaded side of the river,  below massive guns,  willows and that grassy bamboo like plant that infests the river banks. Mullet and the occasional bass sent up bow waves,  a lone brown duck fled its camp, but mostly it was so bloddy peaceful. A couple of guys on sit on top boats paddled painfully slowly down river, no rhythm,  aimless.  In response to my enthusiastic remarks about the moment,  they grumbled about the heat.  I hesitated to recommend paddling in the shade,  but decided they were happy in their misery and let them pass.  They were the only water users I met on the water today.  I was amused by jumping mullet; whooshing clear of the water they  turn slightly in the air and land with a slap.  As I  approached the village of Paterson what was obvious was the quietness.  Nobody picnicking or  swimming, not a sound from the park.  Surely they were not all at home in airconditioning?! The diving pontoon was abandoned. Photo. 

The paddle home was current assisted and the speed of my kayak amazed and delighted me.  At the ramp I met Matt and his wife Melinda. Matt was quite  upbeat, this was his first paddle since having his  leg amputated and he'd wrapped his  mechanical knee in glad wrap to preserve it.