It was the third week of May and the weather was finally cheering up with the approach of the French summer. My sister J and I jumped into kayaks with our pair of Jack Russell companions and floated downstream. Each day it got hotter and hotter, and by Thursday we were sunning ourselves in an early heatwave.

TPR joined us at the end of the official course. We photographed ourselves in a three-way embrace, topped up our sunblock, then turned the heavy kayaks around, grateful for some additional help from my nephew PF.

It was going to a long haul home, pulling ourselves upstream using the tow ropes that lined the right hand river bank. However, everyone knows that this is all part of the deal if you take a kayaking holiday in France.