Well, I've just made a decision after a manic month of mayhem, before the month is out, I'll be buying my kayak. It's a bit premature since I wasn't supposed to buy one until I finish my PhD but I think I need that river now.

My supe always tells me you've got to get used to uncertainty in your PhD life... well, I think I prefer this quote for now:

What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else.

:-)

:) depends in which year of PhD you are, if you run out of money, and there is still long to way to go, atleast you have your kayak to run away, and go with the flow of river

Thanks, smrh. *grin* I guess I have about a year left... mostly writing up, so maybe the river is a timely option. I'm part-time, so running out of money should hopefully not be too much of a problem... Actually, advancing the kayak promise seems to have done the trick and I feel much better now. *chuckle*

Ooh I love kayaking! A kayak is top of the list of things I want to buy as soon as I have the money... I think that buying it now was the right thing to do - you need to have some bit of escapism to keep yourself sane!

Thanks, Rosy. Yeah, it was the right decision. I've been feeling much better today. I even went down to the river for a quick walk... I have a 20 mile stretch of river on my doorstep, through rolling countryside, so having the kayak will be fantastic and the south coast is only an hour or so away as well.

I found a local canoe club that go out twice a week, barbecue once a month in summer and France once a year so I'm all excited about different possibilities now. I just needed to get out of the house more and stop being chained to my desk (which I enjoy but get over-addicted to).

Happy. :)

Kayaking sounds delightful!!!! I have been thinking how nice it would be to have a kayak and so weird to now read this thread. I have done some sea kayaking, not river kayaking, but river kayaking probably is a better bet for safety? I wonder if I could get a kayak somewhere...but how would I keep it and store it and get it to a watery spot to use it??! Hmmmm...something to think about!!

I nearly did a kayaking course in March!! How funny! It is a hugely pleasant activity, I am envious that you are buying one!

Hi Olivia

If you are interested in kayaking, you can use this site to find your nearest canoe club. Usually there's general paddling twice a week at most clubs and I know there are a few in London. Costs are usually quite low, between £5-10 for a few hours, including use of a club kayak. I also have mostly done sea kayaking rather than river kayaking (great fun, chasing waves).

http://www.canoe-england.org.uk/canoeeng/canoeeng-regionalselector.aspx?Level1MenuItemId=6&CurrentMenuItemId=597

consumerism! that's how i cure the blues. when broke, it's window shopping - lovely activity which doesn't involve any costs. having got into some money, it's real consumption: i bought a new bike. not just any, but a brand-new, good quality folding bike. this involves doing research (which bike exactly, what advantages and disadvantages do the different models have, where can i get it at the best price, browsing ebay, etc.), then the excitement of actually buying it (clicking "confirm order" online), then the excitement of it arriving (big package!), then learning all the specs and details of care and of the folding mechanism, then actually riding it! the joy! comparing it to everybody else's folding bikes en route... showing off in the train... all added benefits.

Internet consumerism is good: you can spend hours viewing stuff you'd buy, if you had the money