Cara's pool

The air seemed suspended in grey coldness this morning but I knew the forecast was for milder, damper weather to come in from the west by the afternoon, so decided on an early-ish walk. The dogs were quite happy with the decision.

The greyness covered the hills completely and there was absolutely no hope of sun and shadows so I opted for my favourite river walk. Anyway Cara was still holding on to some mud from her walk yesterday - I know I could have brushed it off, but I thought she would much prefer a swim! I did not hold out much joy of successful blips but was enchanted by the light on the Turret, the tributary to the River Earn. It is home to Cara's personal swimming pool and she always takes off when we near it, irrespective of how cold it might be, jumping in from the banking at the earliest opportunity. She then waits hopefully in the water for a stick or something to chase and retrieve. There was no shortage of those today although some were sodden and promptly sank, much to her bewilderment.

Once we reached the main river it was noticeable that the level had gone down by at least 3 feet from my last visit and there was debris everywhere, some of it hanging suspended from low branches. In other places a multitude of small sticks had melded and become attached to nooks and crannies in trees. Although now perched high and dry, well above the water, they looked like impromptu nests that a large bird such as a swan would make. The river was still flowing quickly but today there were areas of white water where unseen boulders caused the flow of water to momentarily break its rhythm and turn into white spray before continuing its journey. The fall in level made me wonder if the overflow at the reservoir has now stopped. I must check it soon.

The local ducks obviously feel that spring is on its way as there were numerous couples, principally mallard, quietly enjoying the quieter water at the edges until, that is, they were spotted by Cara who literally sent them flying before I had a chance to get the camera focussed on them! I was also watching out for the resident heron and only spotted him as he flew past, again too quickly for an effective blip.

The temperature had risen from 1' to 5' by the time I finished the walk and I now await the promised rain showers. Hope you have a good day.