Brief stop at Billingford Bridge

It rained all day on 27th of December and the river height peaked at 0.79m by mid day today, the 28th, on the Billingford Gauge. This is just enough to cover some decent areas of water meadow further down stream.

By the gauge it was just bank high:

The gauge itself was fairly washed out, just a small slope to what looks like a non holding stopper

Christmas day 2017

Christmas Day was mild and breezy. Four second exposure through a rather grubby window!

This little clip gives some idea of how the tree was moving:
Wild Christmas lights from Petro Dobromylskyj on Vimeo.

Billingford to Scole and back yesterday

First day of sun on the water. Fantastic.

Shotford to Mendham and back

Still cool and grey but it's getting late in the Spring so it's time to paddle, downstream from Shotford launch point to Mendham Weir, against a brisk NE wind then back up to the starting point with a following breeze to help up the shingle riffles.

North shore of the Blyth Estuary

High water on the Blyth a couple of days ago. Just walked south on the footpath on the west bank of Wolsey's Creek. Nice out of the wind when the sun shone... Most of the water is less than a foot deep at the top of the tide.


High Water on the Blyth Estuary from Petro Dobromylskyj on Vimeo.

Mouse in Reydon Wood

A few more flowers from Reydon Wood

This Yellow Archangel was looking very fresh and colourful

As was the Violet

And the Selfheal

Wood Amenomes in Reydon Wood

Reydon Wood Early Purple Orchids

A bright and blustery day in the shelter of Reydon Wood, looking for Early Purple Orchids. They're there.

This one just getting started

And this one must have been one of the first to flower

Winks Meadow yesterday

Got to Winks Meadow yesterday and the Green Winged Orchids are out:

Weybread Weir dried out

The automated sluice control at the main face of Weybread Weir is out of action so the main drop is dry:

Which means the river bed is dry below the weir, looking upstream from the footbridge

or downstream from the bridge

All of the water is going over the old lock sluice, just possible as a bump and scrape with a serious lean back...

It was nice to get a decent look at the structure



close to

Just around the garden

Spring canoeing

Beautiful morning yesterday with SW breeze and sunshine. Paddled with Mike Sherwen from Billingford to Syleham. It was a good day, full of herons, buzzards and another day-flying barn owl. Fantastic.

About 0.43 on the gauge.

Winter at Weybread Weir. 0.38 on the gauge

Intermittent light sleet. Cold on the hands!

Weybread Weir from Petro Dobromylskyj on Vimeo.

On the marshes

Nice circular walk across the Haddiscoe Marshes a couple of days ago:

Having left the map at home I took a turn off on to the marsh one track too early so ended up on the wrong side of the dyke. Which meant a cautious step across a ligger:

And then a rather more cautious bum shuffle, feet first, over this ropey, tilted, slippery and very creaky plank into a bramble thicket to get back to the track proper!

The walk back, correctly located on a footpath, was much easier!

At the edge of the marsh was a lovely patch of feral woodland:

Even if it was rather damp under foot:

Canoe bathtime

Getting ready for some reinforcement panels inside and a coat of varnish all over. Spring is on the way!