So it's that time of year. Time for the Oxford / Cambridge University boat race. Time to extract myself from the countryside and drag myself into the urban suburbs for a taste of city living. Time to mingle with stylish Londoners and see what the River Thames is looking like in all of it's Spring glory.
My fantasy of an idyllic Sunday afternoon spent on the banks of the River Thames stems from my parents who met in Richmond and spent many Friday nights dancing in a jazz bar somewhere amidst the jumble of old boathouses on the rivers edge. I fear that their experience will never be mine. That was the swinging 60's & everything has changed.
If I am going up to that part of the world I like to start the adventure with a drive through Richmond Park to look at the deer. I will then head out of the grand Richmond gates where the old Star & Garter building sits on Richmond Hill overlooking the valley below. I will wind down the short hill and squeeze through the narrow alley that leads me to Petersham Nurseries.
For me this is a relatively recent addition to my list of places I go for 'artistic inspiration.' Here the old glasshouses have been converted into a beautiful rambling area of cafe tables & chairs scattered on hard baked soil floors. Alongside the cafe are a couple of shopping areas. One sells gardening items such as rubber boots made in Serbia bearing the iconic Petersham elephant logo embedded in their sides. The other is dedicated to the home with an inspiring mixture of bohemian chandeliers, pottery, perfume and real ostrich feather dusters for sale!
But I go to Petersham Nurseries for the coffee and cake and a place to sit in the sun, a spacious place to linger and chat. In the Spring there is nothing better than finding a table sheltered behind an old sprawling vine. The delicious smell of soil warming up in the sunshine & lush green vegetation sprawled all around. This mingled with the smell of fresh cooking wafting out of the kitchen .... everything combines to create a yummy delicate gardening and cooking perfume to savour alongside the rich coffee & expensive (for a country girl !) cake.
Later on in the year when the weather has warmed up - the open area at the back of the nursery is a delicious place to sit along the garden wall.
If I do go to watch the boat races this year - after my visit to Petersham Nurseries I will make my way along the river up to Chiswick & maybe even as far as Putney.
Here I will fight for a tiny piece of space along the river banks, trying to stand my ground and choose a spot where I can see the boat races. The attire in the photo below reminds me of that gentle humorous classic '3 men in a boat,' written about boating on a small section of the River Thames.
'All the inhabitants of Hampton and Mousey dress themselves in boating costume and come and mulch round the lock with their dogs, and flirt, and smoke, and watch the boats, and altogether, what with the caps and the jackets of men, the pretty coloured dresses of the women, the excited dogs, the moving boats, the white sails, the pleasant landscape, and the sparkling water, it is one of the gayest sights I know of near this dull old London town.' Jerome K Jerome
On my last visit the River Thames was in full flood with unusually high waters lapping over the pavement and puddling around the feet of passers by.
Although it looks like a wipe out, the high Spring tide only lasts half an hour or so before the waters begin to recede - just enough time to enjoy a pint in the sunshine!
But back to the University boat race ..... Below is an extract from Town & Country magazine, Spring 2017.
Over the long accumulated history of this annual event ( it started in 1829,) Cambridge has won a few more races than Oxford. I was in Oxford a few weeks ago and I have been warned that the word from the Oxford training camp is that the Oxford men's team is very strong this year.
However, I always support Cambridge. My reason for this is that I prefer the light blue colour of the team shirt! No seriously, here are some other reasons....
I prefer the feel of Cambridge as a city. I like the way it is laid out with lots of space and light bouncing off the buildings. I am drawn to the river and the surrounding flat countryside.
I promise it's nothing to do with the attractive punter above!
But more to do with the academic genius and the way Cambridge is so bike friendly. When I think of Cambridge I think of 'Bluebird,' the old sunbleached light blue Mercedes I used to own with the grubby curling Cambridge garage sticker slowly dissolving on the back window. She encompassed some of what I feel about Cambridge, a faded glamour and excellent engineering !
So if you are in London and close to the River Thames this weekend ( Sunday April 2nd,) the Women's boat race will begin at 4.35pm with the Men's race an hour later. Wear dark blue if you are supporting Oxford and light blue if you lean towards Cambridge. Let's hope the weather is good and not like last year when there was a dramatic Spring thunderstorm with huge waves on the river & flashes of lightening on the river banks !