Waterfowl

Walked up to St Ives Estate this morning, and it was already getting hot.  Met friend H at the Ivy Kitchen for Brunch.  We then had extra drinks and were there for over 2 hours in very hot sunshine.  After we left I took a walk around Coppice Pond even though it was quite busy by then, and lots of people with prams and children going the wrong way around the one way system.  The signage needs to be much larger!  Very busy on the pond with lots of different waterfowl.  Mr & Mrs Duck were out showing off their 8 adorable new ducklings.  At one side of the pond the babies came up onto the banking right at my feet and then panicked when they realised mum was already swimming away without them! One swan was hiding away on the island, but another and the cygnets (now almost fully grown) out and about.  The geese were having a mass preening session, and the Coot was sitting on her nest, The gulls were hanging around by the fish carving hoping that people on the feeding station would throw something their way.  The pond was looking lovely with reflections of the sky.  Walked via Baxter's Pond and Cuckoo's Nest, and then back to the village (rather more slowly than I had set off as it was extremely clammy by then). Walked through the park and saw some friends having a socially distanced meet-up.  Then an invitation to have a couple of drinks in the local beer garden - very welcome in this heat. Home in time to receive a frozen food delivery - already beginning to defrost as I took it out to the freezer!