Chiswick Bridge to Petersham

I did the Chiswick Bridge to Petersham section of the Thames Path this morning. Bwo dropped Roxy and I off at the bridge and it took us just over two hours to ramble home. This is definitely one of the nicest parts of the Thames that I have walked so far and something I would recommend to all visitors and locals. I mostly enjoyed the views on the far banks while walking through the lush greenery that borders Kew Gardens and the river. This is the view of Syon Park House from the other side of the river - with obligatory rower.

There were lots of rowers out on the river this morning and a fair number of joggers on the path. About an hour into the walk I really needed to pee. Now England is not Israel and it's not acceptable to just haul out your goods and pee where ever the urge takes you. In fact in all the three years we have been here I have never once seen anyone pee on the side of the road - not even taxi drivers. Occasionally you see a vehicle stopped on the motorway verge, but if someone is heeding the call of nature, they are doing it out of sight. This building pressure was a problem as there is precious little besides greenery and water on the path between Kew bridge and Richmond, let alone a toilet. On top of it all the cadence between the joggers and rowers meant there was never really a break where no one would be able to see me relieve myself off the side of the path. Eventually, just past Syon house, I caught a break in the action and breathed a heavy sigh of relief as my morning coffee flowed away. Thank goodness I'm a boy, I hate to think what women do on this stretch. Things definitely improved from then on.

It's now Sunday evening. The sun has gone down on a wet and soggy England. Tomorrow is work. After two quiet holiday weeks, it will all start up again and I have that "Sunday Evening Feeling" I used to get before the school week started. I hear bwo in the kitchen, sounds like stir fry, a favorite of mine. She must be taking a break from her binge watch of "Jessica Jones" on Netflix. Life goes on.