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Mort's Riverwatch

An occasional look at the ebb and flow of the Thames

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Month: November 2011

Café Gino by Walton Bridge
Recent developments

Tunnel vision in bid to solve waste problem

27/11/201103/12/2012Mort SmithComment(0)

Not that long ago, you will recall, David Walliams swam the length of the Thames to raise money for charity – and promptly became rather ill from swallowing river water that had been polluted by sewage.

Rooks
Nature Terra Nova

The signs of autumn

20/11/201103/12/2012Mort SmithComment(0)

There are some sights that really bring home to me that autumn has arrived and winter can’t be far behind it – and one of those is seeing the huge flocks of rooks that wheel in acrobatic formations over the Thames mornings and evenings.

Walton Bridge in watercolour
Local people Rules and regulations

Paintings illustrate beauty of river

11/11/201103/12/2012Mort SmithComment(0)

Photographs are great for keeping a record of what’s happening on our lovely river – but somehow paintings capture more of the spirit of an event that even the best photograph in my view.

History Recent developments

Lock keepers get backing from users

05/11/201102/12/2012Mort SmithComment(0)

More than 100 people turned up to a meeting of the River Users’ Group, section eight (RUG8) at the Thames Motor Yacht Club at Hampton Court last Tuesday (November 1) and sent a clear message to the Environment Agency demanding a rethink on its proposals to freeze the recruitment of lock keepers and to rent out lock side houses left empty by retiring keepers.

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Get in touch

To contact Mort, email him at mortsmith32@gmail.com or call him on 01787 226974. He’s always pleased to hear from old friends who provided such a wealth of information and great stories for Riverwatch.

These columns appeared in the Surrey Herald.

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