Down by the river again

I had to declare my election expenses to the Democratic Services department of Stroud District Council. The offices are in the old Ebley Mill buildings, which you can see bits of behind these trees, but I couldn't get there by car because of a road closure, so I approached on foot.

The path I am on is the old canal towpath and as you can see it runs adjacent to the River Frome at this point. The canal was abandoned in the 1930s, but now is being regenerated for use by boats, with the long term aim of connecting it back to the national waterway system. Quite soon the canal diggers will be coming through here to cut out all the mud clear the whole canal and upgrade the footpath. The work is advancing well.

I hadn't been on this path before and it was very busy with many of the Council staff using it as a lunchtime short cut to a supermarket, I think. But I was pleased to see a lot of wildlife including coots, moorhens and dusks all with their young close at hand. In the river I saw a large trout happily waiting for food under a tree with lots of flies milling about. A Green Woodpecker flew up from the grass verge where it was prospecting for worms I suspect, and then flew up into a large oak tree. I followed it and saw it run along a branch and look down at me as I took a picture. It flew off then and my picture was not sharp enough to show.

I liked this mother and child walking and discovering the canal and river together. I really hope the regeneration will be beneficial for all of us, whether we be wildlife or just human.