Swans rule OK

On most Tuesday afternoons I am volunteered to pick up Helena from her two hour teaching job along the Golden Valley towards Brimscombe. It is about two miles from our house and I have been known to take the opportunity to blip from there. The venue is situated in a new set of buildings next to the remnants of Hope Mill, which sat astride the River Frome and then next to the canal.

The single track lane leading down from the main road crosses a small bridge over the river, along which these two swans seem to reign supreme. As I crossed the bridge I looked out for them, to see if they were sitting on a nest yet, but I saw nothing. The lane then passes through the middle of this group of mobile homes which are permanent settlements with gardens backing straight down to the river bank.

When I passed the second house on the right here, I saw them waddling up from the river through one of the gardens between the buildings. By the time I had parked in the old mill's yard, to wait for Helena, they appeared in the distance on the footpath. I had brought my camera, even though I hadn't expected to have any time to find a blip, so I quickly changed lens and nipped out to see what might happen.

The lane is always busy with cars, small vans and even large lorries visiting the small and varied business park at Hope Mill. Each time a vehicle passed them the nearest swan to me raised its wings and cocked its neck in a threatening pose to warn off the incomers. The second swan behaved quite differently, only being interested in walking along the edge of the footpath and eating the heads of the dandelion seeds that had formed in the gutters, obviously finding them a great delicacy and worth an afternoon walk to have a feast.

Several people walked down the lane and none of them used the path. One man on his bike did approach them , but quickly dismounted and then nipped into one of the homes, with a very wary eye being kept o them at all times, much like they were viewing him.

After this blue car stopped to make way for this red one, they seemed to have had enough and turned to make their way back through the gardens to the more tranquil scene on the river.