The riverside

Hi there,

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My name is Vera and I have a little river story to share with you!

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I grew up on the countryside, at the farm of my parents which has a lot of land attached to it.

Through the land there runs a small river, within our family we call it ‘’de Leiding’’ which in English could be best described as a channel.

While growing up I have seen the different states this channel can be in. In winter the water level is high, sometimes the channel would freeze and we could ice-skate back and forth on it. Under the influence of what happens on the farmlands, which is in spring the spreading of the manure, you can see the changes in the water. After slowly coming alive with bursts of algae colouring the waters green, more and more life emerges. In summer the water sides are covered in high grass, flowers and a lot of mean nettles that sting your ankles if you do not watch your steps. One particular period in summer, if you are lucky, you might spot the Carps swimming upstream. Seeing those relatively large fish in the silent water has always been a fascinating sight to me, making me aware of the life these waters contain.

It has always fascinated me about this channel and all other rivers, that under all these different circumstances like the weather changes; fluctuating nutriënt levels; different forms of life; and so forth, the river remains in place. The water keeps on streaming and providing the conditions for life to flourish at its sides. Rivers are the veins of the land and that is how we should consider and treat them. They give us life, joy and repose when sitting down at their edges staring out over their waters. Let’s value them as the beacons of life they are.