Forty Winks Before I Go To Bed

One pint of Guinness too many. It was a very hot day and I got home from work deciding that a nicely chilled Guinness would go down a treat. In fact it went down so well, I decided upon another. Then another and... *#> How long is a piece of string. 

My little water feature was trickling away lending to the warm relaxation and the inner zen of my well being. Carole decided to capture it on camera. She said I slept for about 2 hours. Never mind it was a very fine day indeed. 

The Pilot Who Played to His Audience

Carole and I were walking along the dike towards the car park of Manea Bird Hides. We had been looking out over the Fen towards Ely Cathedral. No birds of prey put in an appearance on this day, but there were many other things of interest to look at. We had our coffee and sandwiches and talked about every day things before calling it a day and making back to the car. 

In every direction there were fields and Fenland. The whole place was very remote. Then, as we walked, there came the sound of a lumbering propellered aircraft. We looked up instinctively and saw this single prop plane flying across the clear blue sky. It sounded as though the engine had a splutter to me. I half expected it to stall and fall from the sky. However, I'm no mechanic and would not know what a good or bad aircraft engine sounded like.

I pointed my camera up and I'm almost certain the pilot saw me because he started looping, twisting and turning right above a particular spot. As he flew off he would loop about and come back again. I'm sure he was doing it for me. 

I came to the conclusion that the engine must have been fine because he seemed to be manoeuvring the plane very well. 

Lady Making Various Fudges

As Carole and I left Salisbury Cathedral we entered the shopping centre under an old stone medieval archway. Immediately to our left was a quaint old fudge shop with a lady making fudge upon a work table. We looked in and watched the woman at work - making the fudge for her special fudge shop. I managed to get a quick snap of her in process and preparation. 

She was selling a variety of flavours and seemed to have a prime spot where a steady stream of tourists, leaving the grand cathedral, could not fail to notice the goods on offer. We of course, went in a bought some fudge. After all, it would have been rude not to. :D

Walking Down Creek Fen

The Goldfinches were everywhere, chirping away as Carole and I strolled down Creek Fen towards the River Nene. It was a smashing day and the late afternoon stroll was the cherry on the cake. The fields were bright yellow with the rapeseed that has suddenly flowered everywhere.

Still, the many birds were the best. I snapped a kingfisher with my camera, which I've already put on the blog. But there were other grand things too.

Whittlesey Moving Towards Summer.

I had been emptying bins in Whittlesey during early April and was struck by the spring beginning to take a hold.

Therefore I took the opportunity to get a few picks on the mobile camera as we went about our work. It was a great spring morning and the Fens are beginning to come to life as the various flora starts to pack its presence felt.

It gives me a lift, and my work mates agree also. Being out and about from now until early November is great. The winter never seems to last long. This year it has been the mildest winter I've ever known.

Still I'm not complaining. The Fenland is beginning to bloom. I actually get up and look forward to going to work, especially now the mornings a daylight at such early hours. Their birds are singing and the fields are becoming green with crops. Some yellow with rapeseed. That stuff grows so quickly.

The Fens are at their best in spring and summer. We worked the streets of the hamlet towns among the old thatched cottages. There seems to be a lot in Whittlesey nestled among the more modern housing.

The Kingfisher Gets His Dinner.

Carole and I were walking along the River Nene. We had decided upon an evening stroll to see if we could spot the barn owls. However, it was too early and there was a lot of daylight left. They come out nearer to dusk.

We did see many other types of bird. The whole place was alive with Goldfinches and they were chirping away in the trees and hedges. I saw a few on the telephone cables and snapped some with my camera. I also saw some Chaffinches. 

As we ambled along the canal bank by the house boats, Carole stopped me and said, "There!"

I looked at her and frowned. She was pointing ahead and added. "On the post by the houseboat - a Kingfisher."

As she said it, I made out the turquoise blue of the smashing little river bird. It was perched on a metal bank bannister pole by the moored houseboat. I focused in on the bird and began clicking away with the Nikon D3100. Some of the shots were not sharp enough, but there were a fair few that came out fine. 

After a while, it flew off but I managed to spot it again. It went on the house boat and dived into the water. It then emerged with a fish in its long rapier-like beak. I managed to get another group of shots as the creature went about shaking and banging the captured fish. Making it ready for consumption. 

Doing Little Things on a Whim.

I've had a few days off and have been pottering about being lazy. Its been rather nice actually. On Sunday evening we were flitting through the garden furniture sites online and decided upon a water feature to stand upon the decking where my hammock is. I thought it would be calming to hear the sound of trickling water.

We picked out a feature that had the appearance of broken pots with water pouring from one into another broken pot and then another until cascading into a bowl at the bottom. We payed online and was expecting it to take several days. 

To our delight it came today. (Tuesday 3rd May 2016) We hurriedly opened the box and set it up. It works perfectly and in no time at all I was sitting in the hammock listening to the soothing sound of trickling water. I don't know why, but it is very relaxing.

I sat in the hammock and phoned several of my sons and my Dad. My Mother is on a cruise in the Mediterranean at the moment, but I'm sure she'll want one for her garden when she sees this water feature upon her return. She likes to sit in the sun and read a book or magazine. Such a thing as the gentle cascading of a light water fall would be gratifying to her. I'll see how she likes it and if she does, I'll send off for another.