Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Scenes from a short walk

On Monday morning we walked around the lake at Trentham.  It was quite early and very quiet and peaceful.

The little robin posed for ages so we could take his photo

Further round the lake the male Mandarin duck was showing off in the water

whilst his lady friend stayed on the jetty, quite unimpressed by his cavorting.

It was so  still with just sprinkling of damp in the air - it was too light to label as rain more like spits and spots.

There were many swans on the lake and also quite a few on the lakeside fluffing up their feathers and performing their early morning ablutions.

The light over the lake was stunning and the water was still

Members of the U3A were out in their rowing boat gliding silently up and down the lake.

There were loads of little birds in the trees, we saw tree creepers, nuthatches and long tailed tits all too quick and agile to photograph easily

Up above we could hear the woodpeckers tapping and calling to each other and we saw two pairs of them flying joyfully over the tree tops and swooping back down to the echo of more loud tapping.  Again they were too quick to spot easily let alone photograph.

In the gardens the signs of spring were appearing with swathes of daffodils across the grassy areas


and more formally each pot along the terrace was planted with their bright flowers

Such a cheering sight


22 comments:

  1. Looks like a lovely walk, 'Spits & Spots' I haven't heard that for years but I know what you mean.x

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    1. Yes, I can hear my Mum saying it but it does sum up how the air was that morning:)

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  2. It's always sweet when a friendly robin poses for a photo! The water birds are interesting and what a contrast between male and female Mandarin duck! The female is just as attractive in her own way. It must be a peaceful place to walk with lots to see and sounds to hear.

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    1. The female madarin is very atractive in less vibrant colours than the male - they are both very pretty ducks. The little robin was right near the cafe on the jetty waiting for crumbs I expect:)

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  3. A very yellow and grey post - stunning photo's. I'm impressed by the U3A rowing team. That's a fab way to keep fit. xx

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    1. Thanks Diane, yes the photos are a bit grey and yellow. The U3A are out on the lake once or twice a week - later in the day and at weekend the youngsters take over:)

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  4. What a lovely walk. That Mandarin duck is beautiful... I'm not sure I've ever seen one before.

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    1. Thanks, Gina - I think there are a couple of pairs of mandarins on the lake, they are very pretty ducks:)

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  5. Always good to be up and about before the crowds, never mind a little drizzle. Spring is really gathering momentum just now.

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    1. I do like to be out and about early if I can to beat the crowds. Hope Spring will be here soon we are back to wind and rain today:)

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  6. That's a lovely walk around the lake. The male duck looks unreal like brightly painted wood! The daffodils do add a touch of brightness to the misty mornings. x

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    1. He does look a bit unreal doesn't he whearas the female looks more natural, it was lovely to see the daffodils:)

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  7. Oh, that cute robin! Lovely to see all the birds though. Suddenly the garden seems to be alive with birdsong, I was really enjoying it whilst out weeding today.

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    1. He was a cute robin although I think he was expecting us to put some seed or crumbs on the fence posts for him. The sound of the birds in the trees and on the water is the main thing I remember about the walk:)

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  8. I've been to the shopping village several times and visited monkey forest, but I've never actually been around the gardens. I must make an effort this summer.

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    1. Maybe next time you visit. The gardens are always lovely and if you don't want to walk all round the lake you can take the boat. Mid to late summer the rivers of grass area of the garden is spectacular:)

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  9. Wonderful pictures of the ducks especially! xx

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    1. Ducks always cheer you up and make you smile don't they?:)

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  10. Thanks for more Trentham posts. I'm loving being able to get there 'virtually'.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the photos, Katherine - I always seem to be taking photos there but it is all so photogenic - I never tire of it:)

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  11. Hello,

    You have a beautiful blog and your photos are very touching and poetic.

    I enjoyed so much looking at the swans. They are so gracious.

    Best wishes to you.

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    1. Hello Kaya and welcome to my blog. Thank you for leaving such a lovely and kind comment and for following. Hope to see you here again:)

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