Sunk, with the loss of all spiders. My next-door

neighbour's boat was found abandoned and

under three feet of water in the River Gipping

in Mid-Suffolk. It doesn't get used much now,

as the river is in the process of becoming

completely clogged by reeds since the local

council (or somebody) ripped out a number of

beautiful willows on the opposite bank that

were sheltering the benthic fauna, along with

the rest of the riverbank flora. This action was

apparently to alleviate the flood problem that occurred most winters, and caused the

flatlands of the adjacent farm to become temporary water parks. It seems to have

worked - the river level is now usually low for most of the year, but the corollary is that

the reeds, now exposed to the full glare of sunlight, are strangling the river from both

banks. The neighbours and I try to keep it clear from our side, leaving the ducks and

swans (and apparenrtly an otter, although we've never seen her) to forage from the

opposite bank, but it's a time-consuming and never-ending process. And yet, it still

doesn't make for a river you can use a boat on.