Triple A - Appreciating Aylesford's Appeal

Sometimes you forget what is actually on your own doorstep. Today I just took a short half mile walk to my own village, Aylesford.  The main picture shows what I think is a spectacular view of the village which I  now realise I take almost entirely for granted. The history of Aylesford includes a settlement at this site dating back to the Bronze Age, the Battle of Aylesford in 455 between the Germanic Hengist and the Welsh Vortigern and that after the Norman Conquest of 1066 the manor of Aylesford was owned by William the Conquerer. Quite a lot to take for granted!
My secondary image is of the medieval bridge over the River Medway and shows some of the local wildfowl. Until recently there had only been one fairly lonely looking swan which appeared to be resident on this part of the river. However, last week I spotted five swans in the same location - two of which are included in this image.