The River Test

Our daughter Jess, having finished her Doctorate, has now taken up her first proper post doctoral qualification job and has moved from Nottingham to Hampshire with her fiancé. We took along a lawn mower and some old garden furniture today, as they actually have a garden for the first time in their time together.

So today we visited Stockbridge with her to cath up and see how she was getting on.  This is the River Test, a chalk stream famous for its fishing - if you are into fly fishing you already know all about it.

Suffice it to say that the relatively small village Stockbridge has at least two fly fishing equipment shops along with some rather nice pubs, restaurants, a wine emporium and a separate whisky shop.  That is not to mention the coffee shops, "county" style bric-a-brac shops etc.  Parking is a bit of a nightmare, but the nearby Common adjoining the Test is clearly Mecca for the local dog walkers.  (That's where today's blip was taken).

I saw linnets and green finches, and heard Cetti's warbler, all without the benefit of field glasses or a suitable lens.  I reckon that it's probably ace for damsel flies and mayflies earlier in the season as well.

It is all a far cry from the urban lifestyle that she was used to, we just have to hope that the pressures of the new job allow her enough time to be able to properly enjoy it all. :-)