Relaxed

At lunch time the Welsh section of the family set off on the next stage of their festive round-Britain progress. The rain of the past three days had finally eased - almost unbelievably, because over Christmas it had felt as if it would never stop - and released from captivity, the rest of us promptly fled the homestead as well. H went off to Evesham (presumably for old times' sake, having gone to school there about a million years ago), but R and I opted for a river walk in Stratford.

The centre of town was relatively quiet, but the river bank paths were absolutely crammed with people on the same mission as us. They were also muddy, which meant quite a lot of dodging about as we tried to get round other walkers, but despite all the rain the river was still within its banks and none of the park was impassable. 

Both today's photos are of the lone tufted duck we were surprised to find hanging around off the Bancroft Gardens wharf. This has been an odd season for these little migratory ducks, which usually travel in small flocks, but this year seem to have been arriving and departing in ones and twos. Now though, we're out of what I think of as duck movement season - it's too late for them to be coming south, and too early for them to be heading back north - so this lone traveller is doubly perplexing. Despite his apparently nervous expression in my second image, he actually seemed pretty relaxed, but even so I'll be surprised if he stays here alone.