Jesus beside the River Cam

Jesus College is not on the river but spreads its name wide. I had a disappointing Eggs Benedict (the brioche is was served on was very sweet) on Jesus lane for lunch and Jesus Green is a large common area that runs along the river.

After work it was still warm(15 degrees) and sunny so we went for a walk along the River Cam.

We started at a tall brick chimney belonging to the Museum of Technology that was once a factory and relic of the Industrial Age. There are Museums everywhere here. On one street, in the centre, I passed the Museums of Geology, Archaeology and one for Anthropology. A product of the Victorian age when colonisation brought treasures to be studied back to the Colleges in England.

There are bike lanes down beside the river so lots of joggers were out, on the river several rowing teams passed by with the cox calling instructions for their posture and strokes. Two female eights and one male one plus a few pairs and singles went east as we walked west. The river isn't very wide, we wondered how they would pass each other.

Swans and mallards drift along and the south bank is lined with canal boats. Those knowing of Michael's feelings towards circus folk may imagine the conflict in his soul as he looked at these boats with many of the owners sitting up on deck basking in the sun. A few of the boats were very flash with solar cells, generators, stained glass ceiling windows and impressive paint jobs, the conclusion made was that these belonged to retired Yuppies. After inspecting the lock and weir he suggested mum's desire for a canal boat holiday wasn't a bad one.

The Jesus Green makes the river accessible to the public on the south side whereas the north is lined with boat houses, Pubs and houses with mooring bays cut into their backyards. One block of apartments had many moorings and was called 'the Marina'. All along the river path are very narrow gates and meter wide pits with metal rollers across them which looked just like cattle grids I jokingly pointed out. The joke was on me because out in Jesus green were a small herd of very happy bullocks. The dogs running around off leash left them alone as they tore up the grass or chewed their cud. The bikes roaring past on the many concrete paths were ignored or had heavy brown heads shaken at them. I guess there must be some ancient grazing rights being asserted, it certainly added to the rural feel of the lumpy grass between the houses and the river. A lap pool lay empty, waiting to be filled in May for use. Its name suggesting baptism rather than laps.

We stopped for dinner at The Saint George pub. The booth we sat in overlooked the river and the radiator behind the wooden seat back was pleasant. The ginger beer Michael had was so gingery it almost hurt to swallow but he was very happy with the sticky date pudding at the end.

As we sat and watched the river we saw some funny sights. A tall guy in his early twenties was tearing down the north bank wearing joggers and a long red dress. Later hoards of runners ran past in a variety of reddish evening wear, both male and female. Apparently it is a jogging club who delight in little oddities to liven up their dreary sport. The canal boat below our window opened and a cat ran out to frolic on the bank and its owner padlocked up the door and we think came into the pub to use the facilities. Nearly every boat had a cat, possibly to keep the river rats out. Across the river was a gym full of rowing machines with its doors wide open to cool down the college boys strengthening up their arms and torsos. As twilight deepened the rowers returned, but in a different order so they must have passed each other somewhere along the river.

The beefies had moved and were leaping around, pressing noses together then kicking up their legs. We walked back to the car quickly to keep warm and to get back to the computer and TV to find out about the Boston bombs that we had heard as breaking news leaving the St George. Somebody really hates marathons.