NOW maybe I’m naive, but I’d have assumed that everyone who lives here in Oxford would, at least once at any rate, have tried punting or rowing on the river.

But chatting with friends, it appears my own regular jaunts out on the water are actually considered quite adventurous for an Oxonian.

Grabbing a pair of oars, a cool bag and some sandwiches it seems is almost akin to steering a course up the Amazon.

Which is a shame since, for me at least, this is one of the main attractions for choosing to live in the city.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about competitive rowing, or straw boaters, Pimms and punts; I just mean, after a damn hard day at the office, hiring a boat at Magdalen Bridge is about as good as it gets.

In fact, I defy anyone not to feel like a kid again once they’ve pushed, heaved, swerved and inevitably crashed into every other nautical novice on the Cherwell; it’s as summery as Wimbledon and strawberries and drunks in Cowley Road.

Indeed, there’s nothing more life affirming than watching a dad sport a pirate hat and take his children out on some water-borne Enid Blyton-style adventure.

And just as amusing are the occasions I’ve gleefully watched students fall noisily in, tourists strip off – thinking no-one was watching – and on one memorable evening, listening in awe as one young man serenaded his girlfriend with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue – on harmonica (smug git...).

It may not be free, but it is cheaper than therapy, healthier than booze, and probably releases far more endorphins than married sex.

Plus you don’t need to shower afterwards.

Went to see ‘psychic to the stars’, Sally Morgan, perform last week at the New Theatre, in George Street, Oxford.

Her ability to talk to the dead is breathtaking and truly astonishing (indeed, many joined her on the stage).

However, I was outraged when, prior to her uplifting and utterly believable communion with those who have passed on but come back for ‘one night only’, management announced that, according to new laws, her act should be treated only as ‘entertainment’.

So, in the spirit – so to speak – of her selfless and highly charged performance, let me lay waste straight away to this hugely insulting disclaimer by pointing out that Ms Morgan is in no way entertaining.