Green River Canoes: The Poster Collection

The Collection

All the posters are collected here in a Poster Collection magazine. I originally posted 28 Reasons to go Canoeing day-by-day through February 2014. They are all here with a few posters that didn't make the cut thrown in for good measure.

The posters were originally published on the Green River Canoes blog.

Our Posters, Prints, T-shirts, IPad and Phone cases are for sale at Redbubble and Posters and Prints are for sale at DeviantArt.

Details about Green River Canoe Trips, downloadable Brochures and Newsletter Sign-Up.

Green River Canoes: Fishing Trips

Canoeing and Fishing

Without a doubt you could easily mix a canoeing trip with a fishing trip and their is no reason why you couldn't use a canoe to fish from just as the locals in France and Belgium use the small flat-bottomed punts. You have to admire these punts because you often see them partially drowned tied up to the bank and you must wonder if they will ever be used again, but I've seen a seemingly lost boat patiently bailed until it was afloat again and then pushed out into the stream for an hour or so of fishing.



The rivers we paddle in France and Belgium do not allow any motorised boats on the river, apart from a small stretch of the Dordogne where the Gabarres run between Roque-Gageac and Beynac offering a tourist service.

Most of the fishing we see is from the bank or fly-fishers stood mid-stream. Only a few fish from boats. The fishers are friendly too and don't much mind the canoes as we go by. This must be because the river is not at all busy. My friend and I were once briefly the scourge of fishers as we paddled through Tours on the river Loire. We didn't have room to skirt them in a wide arc as we had a rapid to negotiate. We were not popular and some even chased us downstream to pass on some advice and encouragement! Normally however a friendly nod and a wave is enough to pass pleasantly.

On the Célé river the fishers are given the river to themselves before 11am and again after 6pm and it is only between these hours that you are allowed to paddle the river. It seems fair, but I wonder what they would say if you were fishing from your canoe.

In all the ten years I've been taken canoe trips down these rivers though we've only ever had one person who trolled from the back of his canoe. He enjoyed himself too although he had to rely on the patience of his partner to do his paddling for him. He didn't actually have much luck in the actual fishing department. The Rainbow Trout and the Barbels eluded him but he did manage to catch one small but handsome Perch, which he gallantly put back.

Anyway the point is if you like fishing then I'm sure we could arrange plenty of time for it on our canoeing trips. We have plenty of time in the early mornings and in the long warm evenings to fit in some bank-side fishing and of course trolling is always a possibility. If more serious fishing time was required then we would re-arrange our schedule to fit it in.

We would also organise the licenses and search out the shops that sell bait and tackle.

Green River Canes: Expedition Trips

Multi-Day Canoe-Camping Trips

Every year we will propose to do a long expeditionary trip at the beginning of each season. If it proves popular then we could add another trip at the end of the season too.

The idea of these trips is to have a long continuous canoe down a single river.

The intention is that we will camp on these trips and where possible we will prefer wild-camping over camp-sites. This means we will have to cater for ourselves too and do own our cooking. This will not however, preclude us taking the odd night in a B&B if we want to, or indeed frequenting restaurants, cafes and bars whenever we find them!

On our usual trips we always have a support van. To help reduce costs on these expeditions  we will have to decide whether or not we want to have a support van to chase us down the river.

Unlike our Inn-to-Inn Trips these Expedition Trips are more co-operative. Green River Canoes will ensure that the canoe equipment is booked and ready for us, will guide us on the river and will have all the necessary details and maps for camping and supplies along the route. If a support minibus is required then Green River Canoes will supply this too, along with a driver.  Green River Canoes will ensure that we are transported from the rendezvous point to the start of the canoeing and for returning everybody back to the rendezvous point from where we finish the canoeing. Green River Canoes will also provide the necessary safety equipment and water-proof tubs for storing stuff in the canoe.

The participants on the trip will be expected to provided their own camping equipment and will be required to set up themselves and help with all the necessary cooking and cleaning jobs etc. If portages are necessary then then will be expected to help with these too.

The cost for the trips will be calculated on the canoe-hire costs and the minibus rental costs (if used) plus the use of a guide. These will be the only charges required before departure. All other expenses will be calculated and shared 'on the road', such as camp-site fees, eating and drinking, shopping, fishing licenses etc and so forth.

It will be the responsibility of the guests to get themselves to the rendezvous point for the trip departure.

We at Green River Canoes will suggest a variety of itineraries for each season. Those that are interested will then be asked to reach a consensus on the following aspects of the trip.

 

Green River Canoes: The Lesse, the Semois and the Ourthe

7 Days Canoeing in the Belgium Ardennes

Come with us on a 7 night 8 day canoeing trip to the Belgium Ardennes where we will canoe on the beautiful Lesse, Semois and Ourthe rivers through the most wonderful countryside.

Our trips are fully guided and we stay in wonderful small hotels and B&Bs. We travel Inn-to-Inn on the rivers whilst our luggage is being taken from one lovely Inn to the next.

We picnic along the rivers as we go and enjoy the local cuisine and wines and beers in the evening. Belgium is of course famous for its many different varieties of beer.

We will enjoy the wildlife as we go: birds, butterflies and dragonflies and if we are lucky perhaps some deer or an otter. Not forgetting the botany either.

along the way we will also get to learn about the history of the region we pass through, from the ancients Romans to World War 2.

These are quiet rivers and we will not be flying through any rapids. Paddling lessons will be provided as we go if you are an inexperienced paddler.

You can find us here : Green River Canoes, and or read and download our brochures and sign up for our quarterly newsletter too.

You can also directly contact us.

We look forward to seeing you on the river.

Green River Canoes: New Trips for 2014

Canoeing in the Belgium Ardennes


Come with us to the south of Belgium and enjoy canoeing on three beautiful rivers.

On this trip we spend two days on the Ourthe, then three days canoeing down the Semois river and a final day on the Lesse.

Have a look at the full day-to-day schedule and the places we stay.

This trip is also described in an online brochure (also downloadable).


As a new itinerary for the 2014 season this trip is offered with a 10% discount. Extra discounts are available for young adults under 18 and for children under 12.  All our prices and dates are here.

These trips are ideal for introducing children to canoeing and we have scheduled some of the dates to coincide with the school-holidays. Our brochure about family trips is here.

If you are a group of four or more then private trips can be organised with perhaps a tweak in the schedule and extra days if required: perhaps you would like to combine the canoeing with another interest like photography or fly-fishing. Here are some ideas.

The Ourthe, the Semois and the Lesse are all tributaries of the Meuse which flow through the Ardennes, the rural and largely wooded hill country in the south of Belgium in French speaking Wallonia.

On the Ourthe we will paddle a 21km (13m) stretch from Nisramont to Roche-en-Ardennes through the beautiful Gorge Herou, and then on the next day a further 20km down to Hotton.

We will then paddle the Semois which winds its way through a deep wooded vally in the far south of the country. We shall canoe a continuous stretch from Chiny down to Bouillon over three days. A distance of about 80km (50 miles).

Finally we will canoe a 24km (15m) stretch of the Lesse river from Houyet to Anseremme, following the river as it meanders through a deep and wooded valley to the Meuse. The valley famously follows the route of a small local railway in a valley which has no road. We will pass the the tiny National Park of Furfooz, with its Roman ruins and also the splendid Chateau Walzin.

Green River Canoes: Family Trips

Connect with nature: Canoeing in the School Holidays

During each season Green River Canoes dedicates some of its Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips to the idea of families with youngish children to come canoeing with us to the Belgium Ardennes and to the Perigord and Lot regions in the south of France.

These trips will coincide with the school holidays, including the breaks around Easter and Whitsun, the long summer holidays and the half-term holiday in the Autumn term (usually towards the end of October).

The trips will operate on the same schedule as our other trips to the region except that we will make special efforts to ensure that the focus is on the wants of the children especially when it comes to the amount of time spent canoeing, the activities we pursue away from the river and making sure the children are fed and watered at suitable times. This is not to say that the adults will not also have a great time.

The trips we schedule in the school holidays will be those of a shorter duration: 5, 6 or 7 days. Although of course longer trips can be arranged.

We offer a discount to children under 12 years of age of 25% for the first child and 50% for subsequent children. For young adults under 18 the discount is 15% for the first and 25% for others.

The 7 Day Trip to the Belgium Ardennes also has a discount of 10% for all adults.

For the 2014 season we are offering the following trips to coincide with the school holidays:

5th-11th   April:        Seven Days in the Belgium Ardennes
13th-19th April:        Seven Days in the Belgium Ardennes
25th-30th May:         Five Days on the Célé in the south of France
23rd-29th August:    Seven Days in the Belgium Ardennes
25th-30th October:  Five Days on the Célé in the south of France

On all the trips we will endeavour to engage the children not only in learning how to canoe, but also assist them in attaining a certain level of water-craft and to become involved in the natural history surrounding us in and around the rivers.

We will also encourage the children to become engaged in the history of the region we visit in particular where we can visit castles and other historical sites. Of course we realise that this is a holiday too so we will try to avoid a too heavy-handed approach and take our lead from both the parents and the children about how we spend our time.
We will also encourage the children to learn something of the local culture where we are; this will involve the local cuisine obviously but also the observation and joining in of local events. We often come across Fêtes and Fairs and Festivals during the summer months.

We will usually canoe in tandem with one adult and one child per canoe, and if the paddlers become sufficiently proficient during the week then we may allow two children to paddle together. Closely watched, of course.

Children must be 7 years of age and be able to swim 25 metres. Life-jackets are worn by everyone when on the water.

Children older than 12 may canoe together after we have observed how competent they are.

The rivers on these trips have no white-water or rapids although the river can flow quickly in places. On our first few days canoe instruction will be given and everyday we will go over the safety drill before starting the paddle for the day.




Brochures can be browsed here and downloaded for offline reading.

 

In Flanders Fields

A visit to Great War Memorials near Ypres
In lieu of events last Remembrance Sunday (see the previous post), Linford and I and Kristine visited Ypres.

We spent the day visiting Great War Memorials, Cemeteries, Battlefields and Trenches.

Here are some pictures:

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 3

Winter in the Orchard

The very last Kodachrome film I had was shot on a winter's day at the end of December 2010. It went in the post to the USA on my birthday, the 20th, which meant it had just 10 days to reach the processing lab for the facility for processing this type of film was closed.



I'd held onto this last film during the whole of November and most of December. We had snow, which was picturesque, but we didn't have sunshine with blue skies to liven everything up until that last week-end.



I've taken photographs of these old Cherry Trees before. They stand almost broken and certainly twisted in a small field off the beaten track close to Hof ter Saksen. I suppose they were once part of a proper Orchard. They do still blossom but I'm not sure they fruit as I'm generally away in early summer.



From time to time when I visit the field is used for Heifers. This is problematic as they are very curious and will lumber over if I nip under the fence to take some shots. I don't like to be in the field with them as they seem like unruly adolescents.



Last year I was disappointed to discover that the farmer had felled a couple of the trees which were, in fact, dead. I still liked them though as they had interesting shapes,

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 2

A New Pond

Whilst wandering about my usual haunt at Hof ter Saksen near my home I discovered a new pond. New for me I mean. It's just a small space: a lot smaller than the ponds I usually visit in the Nature Reserve close by. This pond looks less managed and is overgrown with reeds and bushes on its banks. I'm hoping that come the spring it will be a good place to spot Dragonflies and Damselflies. It will be interesting to discover whether this pond is frequented by different species than the larger pond.



I shall probably have to take my wellies as well as the ground around the pond is marshy. I'm already looking forward to it.



Although the pond is small it may also provide an opportunity to spy on some birds. I've already seen a Grey Heron here and it's possible that the local Kingfishers pay a visit.

Garden News

Spring has broken out all over the garden and some trees are already in blossom. The Almond is already well in flower and one of the Blackthorns has come out. Meanwhile the peach, one of the Plums and one of the Pears are just about to show.



The danger is when trees blossom early that they can get caught by a late frost and that their is not enough bees and other insects to do the pollinating.



I've finished my building projects for the time being: I've made two planters (for raspberries), two long thin Cold Frames, two square Cold Frames (these all use recycled plastic parts for the lids from an old Cold Frame),  two square raised beds, five long raised beds, one extra large raised bed (for Potatoes) and a box to surround the Rhubarb. some of these are already populated: with Garlic, Red Onions, White Onions, Broccoli and Cauliflowers. The Cold Frames are housing seed pots with Dwarf Beans, Runner Beans and Peas. Next month I shall build four more raised beds. By then it will be time to plant Carrots, Parsnips, Leeks and Chicory. All these are new ventures for me. As last year I shall also grow Tomatoes, Courgettes and Peppers in the raised beds I bought a couple of years ago.



In the garden the spring flowers continue to make a good show: plenty of Narcissus, Tulips, Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth, Anemones and other bulbs. Almost everything is in bud and ready to leaf. Exciting times after the long winter.

Last of the Kodachromes: Part 1

Winter in the Park

Kodachrome film was discontinued  at the end of 2009. The film wasn't processed using the common E6 process for colour film but used a special process. This meant the film had to be sent away for processing in special labs. These were spread around the world but as the use of this film declined so the labs closed. Dwayne's Photo in Kansas, USA, was the last, and this closed it's Kodachrome processing facility in December 2010.



When I first heard the news about Kodachrome I didn't pay much attention as I usually shot digital and I believed I didn't have any Kodachrome film in my fridge. I was wrong. About 5 years ago as digital started to replace film many of the older style camera and photography shops started to close. I was still shooting a lot of film at the time and I went around many of these shops picking up old stocks of film as I went. Some of them were past there sell-by-date, but this just meant I got an even cheaper price.



I eventually stacked up quite a collection of film which I store in a fridge in the shed. I have both 120 and 35mm film to use up.



Eventually I paid attention to the Kodachrome story and decided I'd better look and see. I found 5 rolls of 36 exposure 35mm film. It was already October 2010. I'd better get on the case, shoot the film, and get it to the lab on time.

A walk along the North Sea in Texel

Texel

Our second day on the island was xpent mostly walking. We rode our bikes down to the beach near De Koog and we walked along the beach up to ab area called De Slufter.

The beach was largely deserted and the Beach huts were not in use yet. The Northe Sea had washed up a lot of foamy spume which seemed unusual. What causes this? The weather was fairly warm and blustery and we ambled as far as we could before reaching a stream running into the sea.

So we turned inland and followed a trail through the sand dunes before finding a cafe on the other side of the Sanddijk. We settled down to large mugs of hot chocolate a dn some huge pancakes!



Our walk home took us along the base of this same Sanddijk and past De Muys. Most of the trails here were out of bounds because it's the nesting season. This was a bit disappointing, but we did see plenty of bird-life including our first Spoonbills.



We eventually found our way back to where we had left our bikes and then pedalled the short distance home.

Garden Birds

As our garden matures (it is five years old now) we have found that more and more different species of birds are visiting. Last year we had Great Tits on the feeder but this year it's mostly Blue-tits. the most recent visitors though have been Greenfinches and Collared Doves.

Our most common visitors are a pair of Blackbirds and a Robin or two, though we don't see much of the Robin during the spring. The other day I was surprised to see a Song Thrush too. All very encouraging.

Just outside the garden on an old Willow stump I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker the other morning and from time to time we see a pair of Pheasants in the back field. usually we just hear them.

Other birds in the vicinty are the local corvids; Rooks, Jackdaws and Magpies, though I've never seen them in the garden itself.

We see several other species too as they fly over; Gulls of course, Black-headed, Mallard Ducks and a commuting Grey Heron.

Sale and Show

Gallery

The day of the show and Sale has been and gone and we are also back from our week in the Netherlands on the island of Texel. It's raining again has it has done for the past few days and the garden is soaking it up.

Our week away was dry though which was fortunate, what was less fortunate was the wind which proved very difficult to cycle with when against us and conversely very easy when it was on our backs.

But back to the show.



I was there at the gate at 7pm to be allocated a space and this year the organisers had provided a covered tent which you shared with another participant. I should point out that all the others at the show/sale were selling plants and I was the only exception. This has repercussions as I will explain.

After the place allocation I cycled back and forth bringing my show materials up. Perhaps I should explain that I don't drive and have in fact never driven, or even learnt to drive. This can be inconvenient, but I usually get along fine by Shank's Pony, a bicycle, or a canoe. I use trains wherever possible and am lucky enough to live in an area with superb public transport so I can make use of our local buses and trams too. I do of course have friends that help me out with lifts from time to time and I do resort to a taxi occasionally. Anyway on this day I only had to cycle a matter of minutes back and forth to get all I required at the show site, which was at Hof ter Saksen a newly restored Chateau with gardens in my local town of Beveren. My parents were here to help me too (as they were coming to Texel with us afterwards) and they helped carry the framed prints which were too large for the bike.

The weather on the day wasn't too great and we had a smattering of rain at the start and it got a bit gusty in the afternoon which played havoc with my easels!

I should say straight away that the day wasn't a success sales wise as I only sold four prints. I was, of course, disappointed. A major reason I believe was the nature of the day. People were expecting to spend a couple of euros on plants and had not anticipated spending a 100 euros or so on a print. However, the stall did attract a lot of attention and generally we always had people looking at the prints. I was giving away a publicity postcard so hopefully this will prove useful in the future. A further problem was the language. I don't speak Flemish (Dutch) so all my conversations were in English, which, although almost everyone speaks it, puts a slight barrier in the way. My partner Kristime was with me all day and so she was able to converse normally with those visiting the stall. I was generally pleased with the interest shown in the prints and I think I made the right decision to only show prints of local scenes.

Next I have to think of how to follow up this initial step and try to organise an exhibition in Hof ter Saksen itself or Kasteel Cortewalle or Hof ter Welle which are all local to me.

All in all I think I learnt a lot about preparing for a show and I learnt much from the day itself about interacting with potential clients. I was pleased with the presentation of my work, matted (with passe-partouts), labelled professionally and nicely bagged in clear film. I still think I can improve in one-on-one dialogues with potential clients.



A big thanks to all those that helped me in the preparation for the show and especially those that helped me on the day. Also a big thanks to those who purchased prints and those who visited my stall and showed an active interest. Many, many sincere thanks.

Hof ter Saksen cafe

Gallery

Did 2 24x30cm prints today and matted and mounted them at 40x50cm before framing them. they are now hanging in the Hof ter Saksen Cafe. I also printed and matted my Artist Statement/Warranty/Prices on 2 18x24cm mounted prints and hung those too. I also printed 10 copies of the material about butterflies and dragonflies to go into the Menus at the Cafe as well as the two sheets which duplicate the smaller prints above. I will be using these materials in the sale/show in two weeks time.

Garden

The Apples and Crab-Apples in themain back garden are now in blossom. they seem to be better than in previous years so lets hope we have a good crop. I'm still concerned about the apparent lack of bees. Maybe this is nornal though and I'm being paranoid.



Still good displays from the tulips and the Iberis is now flowering well. In the background everything seems to be growing apace.