Watchful

It has been a fabulous summer's day here and so I took the dogs to their favourite river walk so they could enjoy paddling and swimming to keep themselves cool. The wild garlic which was growing in profusion just a fortnight ago is now wilting and lack lustre although the pungent aroma still clings to the air. In its place the fresh green foliage was glistening in the sun's rays while other wild flowers were promising colour very soon as their fattening buds tilted towards the light. I spotted mallards, a pair of noisy oyster catchers and several dainty wagtails as I walked along the path of the languid river whose stony river bed is now visible through the water as it is so low. My favourite sighting of the day though was this heron as it stood erect and watchful yet poised for action if a tempting fish were to swim by. I was tempted to crop the image but rather liked it this way as it looks as if the heron is in his own watery oasis.

I didn't bother to dry the dogs off once I was home as it was so warm. Instead they sunbathed and chummed me as I pottered around the garden attacking, among other things, nettles and buttercups which have suddenly appeared everywhere. Thankfully the solar panels were in overdrive today and provided me with plenty of free hot water to get rid of all the dust from my labours.