Today, New Year's Day 2013, with the worst of the flu behind us, we went on a walk along the River Thames near Greenwich, to one of our regular destinations, an old disused industrial area, which seems to collect all manner of pieces of wood, plastic bottles, tennis balls, and other floatable objects. To be honest, it is a bit of a testament as to how disgustingly untidy and uncaring we are about our environment judging by the number of old plastic that sits there, swept in by the tide. However, sometimes you get some good pieces of wood, glass or pottery nestled in amongst the rubbish. Today though, we made an exciting discovery - an adult terrapin, wedged in amongst the stones. Now, we had a dilemma. Either leave it there or take it somewhere more suited to a terrapin. At least, that is what we thought. Clearly an abandoned terrapin, we didn't think he would survive long being bashed around in the swells and tides of the Thames, and so we decided to take him, at great speed - before it got dark, to a calmer and more appropriate environment. So we put him in a plastic basket (taken from the piles of plastic) and drove down the A2 to Cliffe, where we put him in a small fresh water river. He seemed happy with his new home despite the tangle of weed, and once we'd established that he was at home, we left and came home to google our new friend (now named Cliff), on the internet. Oh dear, we had not realised that Cliff would probably now devour everything in his path, including chicks and fish, and that these invasive species are in fact a menace to our own wildlife. Apparently, quite a few of these terrapins are abandoned in Britain, and they can end up terrorising the local wildlife. Well, luckily, Cliffe is a big place and Cliff the Terrapin is relatively small. I hope that he will respect his new home and live peaceably amongst the weeds, not causing too much devastation. Despite his fearsome reputation, I prefer to think of him there than in the almighty Thames at the mercy of the Thames Clippers, and floating plastic detritus. And so, this is our first good deed of the New Year, and now as we look forward to the year ahead, I wish everyone much love and happiness and good things to come in 2013. My daughter and I made our vision boards this evening, and we've now let all our hopes and aspirations go, in the knowledge that they will eventually come to fruition! Happy New Year!
Cliffe the Thames Terrapin, in his new home at Cliffe. New Year's Day 2013.