Cherry blossom

I didn't work today and so had another lovely sunny walk which included a visit to Blackford Pond. The social distancing was more of a problem as some of the paths weren't quite wide enough, and there were quite a lot of people using them. I think we need to establish a rule about walking on the left - but I doubt whether we will. I was keen to see how things would be at the pond as I hope very much to spend time there when the cygnets hatch. I think it will be a little risky, but nowhere near as risky as shopping, so I will probably chance it, maybe leaving it until later in the day. Mr and Mrs Swan were both on the island for most of my time there, Mrs Swan on the nest and Mr Swan having a snooze beside her, although he did eventually get up and have a swim. Otherwise there wasn't a lot happening: there were a few moorhens and drake mallards and lots of lesser black-backed gulls and that was about all. There's probably a good explanation for this, but the gulls seem to take it in turns to be on the pond. Some days it's black-headed gulls, sometimes it's herring gulls, and today it was lesser black-backed gulls. Maybe the herring gulls are now away breeding - they are starting to nest on the roofs in my street as they always do. 

On my way back I stopped to listen to someone playing the bagpipes in his garden - not something I have heard before, these strange times are bringing out new qualities in people!

Finally up to date with my blips!

My father would have been 100 years old today, although he died a long time ago, in 1987. I did stop to wonder what his life would have been like if he hadn't had the cancer which he died of. He was still working at 66 and I'm not sure he would have ever retired. He might have done less and travelled more with my mother. As it was, my mother was a widow for 23 years.