Tropical heat and paddling

Friday, June 8, 2007, 3 comments

Comparison Nomad vs Njord

When a powerful anticyclone have halted over Sweden and the temperature in my study is approaching 30 deg C, it is very easy to choose the kayak instead of the computer – the work has to give way as a relevant adaption to the conditions. Since I mostly work freelance from home I can get a little done early in the day and in the evening.

It is not so bad sitting a while in the twilight doing some work. Once there might have been some TV-program that tempted, but now it is not even worth the time to check the schedule (he was more correct than he probably could have imagined, Neil Postman). As Ernie Kovacs put it: "Television – a medium. So called because it is neither rare nor well done."

But when it comes to media I am more disappointed in The Swedish Radio. After having spoiled us for a very long time with interesting, well researched and thought provocing programs in channel 1, they seem to succumb to the general trend of chatter radio with some kind of comedian making trivial comments on whatever in realtime. No doubt cheap to produce, but that surely cannot be the entire amibiton, or can it?

Waterspots on the lens – haven´t happened before!

A short daily trip in the kayak - some workout , some rolling, a few trips to let potential builders try the kayaks - has felt necessary to cool down (remember, we are not used to this kind of heat, up here in the north). All reasons to be on or in the water are welcome.

For the moment I am working on the rolls with the paddle behind the back or neck (no 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the Greenland competition list) and have realised that I lack a little mobility in the shoulders to pull them off as effortlessly as I had hoped. To some this no doubt seemes an odd way to spend beautiful summer days – but it is easy to get lured along by intrigueing exaples of Malligiaq, Dubside, Cherri Perry, Turner Wilson, Freya Hoffmeister et al…