Bodies of Water

Like many people, I am drawn to water. In Amy Jane Beers book ‘The Flow’ she describes how she revisted a river in which she lost a close friend, years before in a paddling accident. She hadn’t been back since, She revisited around 7 years later, expecting to feel the overwhelming sadness all over again but equally determined to find peace and closure. What she discovered though, was a sense of wonder and a gentle pull to remain in place and study further. Just below the rapid where her friend died, she noticed a calm spot amongst the chaos of the bubbling white water, an eddyline, an interface of opposing flows. She studied this for a while, noticing all of the features of the river and felt a strong sense of past and present, life and death. This compelled her to study water and river flow in detail, in a more attentive way than her earlier years of paddling adventure. The result of this study, is her book ‘The Flow’

It is Amy Janes description of feeling pulled to stay by the water and explore further, in an attentive and immersive way that resonates. Whether it is the sea, a river or a lake or pond, there is real sense that there is something to be discovered or considered in more detail. Tranquility is synonymous with water, the sound of it and the feel of it. I have often headed out for a walk or run and ended up near the water and found it almost impossible to not stop to listen and watch. The shapes and movement of the flow, in the case of still water it is the way the light bounces and changes constantly. I will almost always take a photograph whilst passing through

I’ve looked at my camera roll on my phone from the last few weeks and I can see many examples of this. All the photographs below are frequent moments of waiting and watching, absorbed in the sight and sound of water and its surrounding landscape.

As well as Amy Jane Beers book above, I’ve read several books on the subject of water, both fact and fiction based. For example, Bonnie Tsui’s ‘Why We Swim’ and Susan Soderburghs ‘Winter Swimming’. I have a copy of the popular Wild Swimming reference guide and have recently bought Kate Rews book ‘ The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook: Collected Wisdom on the Art, Sport and Science of Outdoor Swimming’ I’ve never consdiered why I am fascinated and drawn to the theme of water.

Without doubt, my favourite pre teen books were by BB (Denys Watkins-Pitchford) The Little Grey Men and Down the Brightstream. The books tell the tale of ‘The last four gnomes in Britain’ who lived on the banks of Folly brook, and have an epic adventure along the brook trying to find their lost friend. BB’s story is set against the background of the British countryside and spans through Spring, Summer and Autumn, with rich descriptions of the water and riverbank throughout;

“At this spot, for some reason known only to itself, the Folly brook turned at a right angle. Beneath the oak the water had washed away the sandy bank, and many winter floods had laid bare some of the massive hawser roots which projected in a twisted tangle from the soil of the bank. The sun, shining full on the steep bluff, threw shadows from the overhanging roots, so that underneath all was darkness.”

His own illustrations (he was an artist under his own name, before he became a writer) feature throughout the books and are a reflection of his own childhood experiences. As a skilled observer, he gave incredibly poetic and enchanting descriptions of the natural world, enabling the reader to form detailed and rich images in their mind. In part, I imagine his dedication to both his art and writing stems from his attachment to the poem below, which came from an old Cumbrian Gravestone and was the preface of every book he wrote:

The wonder of the world
The beauty and the power
The shapes of things,
Their colours, light and shades
These I saw,
Look ye also while life lasts.

I believe that my personal fascination with water comes in part, from these stories. I know that I am not unique in feeling charmed and entranced by natural bodies of water, the sheer volume of literature and reference material available tells me that but its meditative qualities invoke deep personal feelings which are unique to me and it is this which brings me back repeatedly.