Category: Harper-Thames Blog

19
Aug
2026

I Watched The Sunset From Three Different Bridges In One Evening To Settle An Argument With Myself

Harper-Thames on a genuinely unnecessary but deeply satisfying bit of riverside research into which crossing has the…

19
Aug
2026

The Riverside Bench I’ve Claimed As Mine Despite Having Absolutely No Legal Claim To It Whatsoever

Harper-Thames on territorial feelings toward a specific spot of public seating and the stranger who dared sit…

19
Aug
2026

I Followed A Heron Along The Riverbank For Twenty Minutes And Learned More About Patience Than I Expected

Harper-Thames on an unplanned lesson in stillness courtesy of one deeply unbothered bird I spotted a heron…

18
Aug
2026

Penton Hook Island Has Been Closed Because Of Dangerous Trees And I Realised How Much I Rely On A Path I Don’t Even Own

A riverside diary entry on losing access to a favourite walking spot near Staines, the strange grief…

18
Aug
2026

Five Drones Crashed Into The Thames During A Light Show Rehearsal And I Watched The Whole Thing From My Kitchen Window

A riverside diary entry on witnessing a genuinely bizarre technical failure over the water, what it’s like…

18
Aug
2026

Work Has Finally Started On Removing “Wet Wipe Island” And I Have Complicated Feelings About Celebrating The Death Of A Landmark

A riverside diary entry on the long-awaited clearance of the Thames’s most notorious sandbank, what it actually…

18
Aug
2026

The Actual Source Of The Thames Dried Up For The First Time Since 1976 And It Made Me Rethink Everything I Assumed About This River

A riverside diary entry on the drought’s effect on the river’s origins far upstream, feeling suddenly small…

18
Aug
2026

I Finally Booked A Tour Of Isleworth Ait And Discovered A Tiny Wild Island I’d Been Looking At My Entire Life Without Ever Actually Visiting

A riverside diary entry on finally setting foot on a nature reserve island hidden in plain sight,…

18
Aug
2026

I Went On The Wind In The Willows Walk From Richmond To Twickenham And Understood Immediately Why Attenborough Calls This His Favourite Place On The Planet

Harper-Thames follows the Footprints of London tour through Tudor gatehouses, wildflowers, and Eel Pie Island’s surprising rock…

18
Aug
2026

I Signed Up For A London Rivers Week Clean-Up Assuming I’d Do Twenty Minutes And Left Four Hours Later Genuinely Obsessed

Harper-Thames on the Know Your Local River theme and how a single free volunteer event completely rearranged…