This will hurt me...

Don't do it!!!

Bridge over troubled reasonably placid water. Richmond. February 2012. This Watery Wednesday to the almost-still Coal River in Richmond (a far cry from the raging torrent that we visited back in June last year ). Yet is not so much the water as the bridge itself that has got me thinking... It says something about a country when your oldest bridge still in use - the heritage listed Richmond Bridge - only dates back to 1825. As you can see on the bridge itself, the foundation stone was laid in 1823 and the thing itself was constructed using convict labour (the sandstone was quarried nearby and hauled to the site using hand carts) until it eventual completion one hundred and eighty-seven years ago. All this is a far cry from some of those other bridges that you might have visited, like the Kapellbrücke (1333), the Charles Bridge (1357), Si-o-se Pol (1602), or the good-as-new Alcántara Bridge (106) [!!!] All of a sudden, 1823 doesn't quite seem that far away.

The great Richmond flood of June 2011. Richmond, June 2011. We've had a lot of rain about these parts lately (to be fair, we've had our share of cold clear days too, but they're not nearly so dramatic). On one of these days we ventured down the road to the historic township of Richmond™ - that is, if 'history' begins in 1823.... MORE of the great Richmond flood of June 2011. Richmond, June 2011. So this day we eschewed the beach and went to find scones. Instead of small and fluffy Scottish quick breads we found a raging torrent ! The great Richmond flood of June 2011, looking away from the bridge. Richmond, June 2011. That said, the ducks and the geese seemed to enjoy it.

An excited little bloke atop Richmond Bridge thinks that he's spotted a runaway convict. Jennifer is not so sure.