Drought and Etymology

This is the mighty River Thames, reduced to a trickle.

Looking out of my window, my eye was drawn to the sight of two fit young ladies, paddling about in the river. They had clearly just learned the first rule of boating, which states that boats don't float if there's not enough water.

Had they shared my interest in etymology, they would have deduced that the river is unusually shallow at Brentford, and that at low tide it pays to take particular care.

Naturally I waded in to provide assistance, but that is another story...

G

PS: Yes, I know there is lots of purple fringing, a consequence of shooting almost straight at a low sun. Silkypix has a tool to fix this, but I haven't mastered it yet.

George - it must be my eyesight this morning, but I can't see any purple fringing!

By the way - I've never seen the water level that low at Brentford before.

Look at the right hand edge of the bank of pebbles in the foreground.

I suspect your eyes were pointed higher up.

G

Now that you've pointed it out, I see it!!.. Mind you, it could be some strange alien life-form you would possibly meet in Hounslow High Street!!

So does Brentford mean 'the ford at Brent', then?

Where is Brent?

Or was there a river Brent?

Brent is a borough in west London. It is situated around (mainly) the Greenford area. I believe there is actually a River Brent that runs through it, but don't quote me on it! Try looking on Google Maps for it, Chris!

From Wikipedia.

K.

Chris is not being entirely serious, gentlemen.

But in the interests of geographical accuracy, Brentford is far from Brent, a modern borough named after the river that flows through it, and also through Greenford.

And the ford is over the Thames. The Romans are reputed to have crossed here, so I spend my waking hours out on the strand, looking for denarii. Or stranded maidens.

G

Yes, indeed. I do my best to avoid Hounslow High Street for that very reason.

G

I'm guessing your grasp of Punjabi is as good as mine then, George??!!

Unusually, I was

I was wondering about the reference to etymology, overcomplicated myself severely wondering about the words drought and draught, in the context of the photo, and then realised that the etymological reference was to Brentford.

For an interest in etymology to have been any use in avoiding the beaching, one would have to have known about the ford at Brentford.

I guess the River Brent must be the connection there, since as George remarks, Brent is nowhere near Brentford (thank god).

I though you meant the sort of person that some people here travel to Whitby every year to see.

G

George - rumour has it that the UN Headquarters are moving fron NYC to Hounslow!!

Parts of Hounslow are certainly "multi-cultural", and in that sense the borough reflects the breadth and scope of the British Empire.

And if people from the former empire should decide to colonise the former coloniser, then that is surely a compliment.

Speaking as somebody whose family has strong connections with more than one colony, I am glad that nowadays I don't have to get on a plane to experience the colour, variety, exuberance, industry, and culinary delights of these exotic worlds that we briefly administered, and which I remember well.

But Goths! Ugh.

G

This is all getting off the point.

I must take you to task, George - it's impossible to tell from your picture whether the ladies in question are fit or not.

Don't you have any lenses of a decent focal length?