Country walk.

Keep back, lads, she's wearing a headcam.
A fine specimen of chickenhood in Slipton.
Drayton House - not open to the public but there is a footpath which passes through the estate. Forelock touched, and envy nerve jangled.

3 weeks

Three weeks of what, wandering round the country - Southampton and Bristol in particular. Taking advantage of whatever summer we have, lots more short walks - Blaise Castle, Snuff Mills in Bristol, and some heath and woodland walks in the New Forest.
Swimming a little once I'd got rid of a 'summer cold'. Trying to improve my crawl style with tips from the Esther expert.
Walking with a group from the village and around. Visiting the bird-hide at Fineshade

We walked
and practised mud skating
on paths where sun sliced through trees,
arrived
at the hide
for a grandstand view
of clouds,
trees,
grass,
water,
reeds,
platforms
and birch trunks
hung with bird feeders.

At first, the movement of butterflies.
Dragonflies, big as birds,
skim over the pond,
with sun-glimmered wings.

Skittish coal tits flitter
from tree to feeder.
A bolder great tit
lingers,
turning its head
with a weather eye on the world.

We think that’s all,
when a white-face clown
bounces in with red cap and cummerbund,
cream shirt and pied tail-coat.
He alights and perches upright,
balanced,
tail against the trunk,
beak probing.

Now and then
he hops
to easier pickings
at the food cage.
A moment,
then the purposeful pierrot
returns
to dig deeper

until two lithe and speedy squirrels
chase each other
up the pole
and he’s off!

And so are we.