I’m delighted to record that Eve Gould from Weybridge Ladies’ Rowing Club celebrated her 86th birthday earlier this month by heading out on the river as the number three in a quad – just as she has done so many times before over the years.
We all take locks for granted as we travel up and down the Thames. These days, the modern electronic controls and smooth hydraulics that are in use at most locks allow easy passage from one river reach to another and the hardest problem for lock keepers to face is simply trying to fit a huge number of boats into the lock chamber.
Strolling along by the Thames at Walton the other day, I was fascinated to watch a sizeable old barge called Richmond Venturer go chuffing past me with a group of wheelchair-bound guests on the deck enjoying the spring sunshine.
