Smoke and mirrors

Still coughing.

And thinking about the 500 pub-goers and diners of Salisbury 

who must be wondering whether it is really a sufficient precaution

to wipe their phones, glasses and jewellery with baby wipes

to get rid of traces of Novichok, a chemical more toxic than sarin.

And then what do they do with the baby wipe?

Pop it into the recycling bin?

And here I am worrying about how to dispose of my old electric toothbrush head

in an environmentally responsible way.

Urban river

 This river is in a surprising oasis of rural tranquility

in a less than idyllic urban desert.

We're very glad that they cleaned up the abandoned

supermarket trolleys and burnt out cars,

but the ducks have the right idea, 

you feel safer in pairs.

Duck therapy 3

I used to run with a friend in the park

five early mornings out of seven.

We ran in all weathers, for years.

We never got any faster 

and we never ran any further than one circuit.

Actually we didn't even run all the way,

the track was handily marked in 100 metre sections

which we ran and walked alternately.

It's called fartlekking apparently.

The object was not physical fitness,

or weight loss,

(the cappuccinos in the cafe afterwards took care of that)

but it certainly helped with mental wellbeing.

We took it in turns to offload whatever was on our minds

from the preceding day's events.

Big or small, they got a thorough airing.

And on the way we noted the changes

that the seasons brought.

The change that the last season brought,

was the end of our running.

I walked the circuit in the late afternoon sun.

It seemed very long and the light was all wrong.

So I was the mad woman talking to the ducks

and being cold shouldered by the pigeons.

Duck therapy 2

If running away to sea is not an option,

hiring a park pedallo,

 listening to the lazy gulping splosh of the paddle,

and breathing in the cool goosey green air,

is as good a way as any of distancing 

landlocked worries.

Squelching

I am getting behind with these eventful days.

The photos are piling up as they tumble out of the camera.

 So here is Sunday lunch at Petersham Nurseries.

A great piece of good fortune this booking,

as they had just had a cancellation for a table for ten

and there were eight of us

happy to slide into their vacated seats.

The walk back along the river 

would have been idyllic 

had it not been for the torrential rain.

We were not adequately prepared for this.

It is hard to translate 'squelching' into Japanese.

Pleasant Valley

After sadly saying No to the house with this peaceful view -

the reality being the impossible to ignore

 roar of an A road beneath -

we set our backs to the traffic

and found some quiet in the pleasant valley. 

Duck therapy

It is never a bad idea

to go and visit

 the ducks.

You can lose yourself

in the scribbled reflections.

The past, present - in the park

In most species of northern ducks the plumage of the males 

is much brighter and more varied in colour than that of the females, 

who need to be dull and inconspicuous when incubating eggs...

and most northern species retire to moult 

when the incubation of the eggs begins. 

This moult brings the drake into 'eclipse' plumage 

which closely resembles that of the female. 

He, however, remains in this state only for a short time 

and by winter has regained his handsome appearance.

This feather is probably from the little patch of coloured feathers in the wing which is called the 'speculum' - a distinctive feature amongst almost all ducks.

from the King Penguin

Book of Ducks

by Phyllis Barclay.

Foaming

fronds

feathery

grasses

fallen feathers

full on feathers

go goslings

full of May