Spring and the spring flood

We had a few birthday cards to post so in view of the good weather I decided to take the (electric) cycle out for its first trip this year. Being on a cycle is good for photography; you see more and it's a lot easier to stop and park than a car is.
Here is the normally small stream in its full glory as the melting snow fills the stream bed and the trickle turns into a roar.
On the local lake there was a little open water and there were 24 swans swimming around, with two braver swans wandering across the ploughed field, looking for goodies. Alongside the lake, on the grass, there were about 20 geese quartering the field. I don't know what they eat but they seemed to be enjoying the recently thawed dead looking vegetation. I guess the birds are waiting for the ice to melt further north. Once spring reaches those northern regions most of the swans and geese will move on.
Back home again I chopped up some of the ice covering our path, helping the spring along. Then we paused for a coffee on the doorstep, sitting in the warm sun.
The rest of the day and evening was spent back at the sorting and renovation of the last few days. Now it feels like we are getting somewhere...