The Goosles: Day Trip

See its eye glow in large ("L").

What an eventful visit to Clapham Common!
I went to the common in the early afternoon with my mother, and we rather enjoyed watching the Canada Geese waddling back to the pond after grazing on the grass: the mother walked straight past us (quite unafraid) but the father and their two large juveniles (only slightly smaller than their mother) were more afraid and would only take the gap when we left them more room. I took a photo of the mother underneath the tree by the side of the pond, and am pleased with the smooth background and reflection in her large eye.

But, no Goosles!? What!? We walked all around the pond (and I even got my toes wet when I went into the inaccessible reeds on the road side where they took to hiding at one stage), but they were nowhere to be seen.
We decided to go over to look at Mount Pond (we thought it unlikely that they'd have gone to the boating pond as the South West Four festival is going on adjacent to it, and is very loud and very busy); on arriving at Mount Pond it became clear that the Goosles were not there, but there were 6 juvenile mallards which I rather suspect are the ones that disappeared from Long Pond (last blip) about three weeks ago. They're now so big (today's pic.), and are at the wonderful "let's go around as a gang of boisterous little ducks" stage which was fun. Lovely to see them; I hope the other two are there as well...

So, off we took ourselves to Long Pond by the SW4 festival: there are several stages blasting out various forms of artless, unoriginal club music, and the sound from them all merges and clashes very unpleasantly. I'm a great fan of many sorts of music, but can't understand how being in a crushed, busy, and filthy place with several sources of music all fighting for dominance (all failing) can be any fun at all. We can hear the noise from home (1.5 miles away), and it is very oppressive on the common... There is also loads of litter (including little gas canisters left behind by all the people using laughing gas in balloons) strewn about the place which is rubbish (...).

ANYWAY, the Goosles were there watching it all going on: they were on the south side of Long Pond opposite one of the long streams of people heading to the festival. It was such a relief to see them, and an amazing discovery because they simply must have flown there which means that the Goosle gosling is now definitely the Goosle fledgling! Perhaps they are showing it where it can move out to when the time comes...
I got some lovely pictures (including them all fleeing in a panic from a plastic bag drifting on the wind), but particularly like the way that they lay in a row! The fledgling and Mrs. raised their heads when a balloon popped; Mr. remained asleep.

Just as I was leaving, a man walked past with a cat perched on his shoulder! He wandered over to a couple of dog walkers and put the spotty cat down so that they could all sniff each other. It was a very surreal sight, and the cat seemed totally relaxed and unafraid. It is a spotty Bengal, and is quite dark as they go: we used to have a blond spotty one, although his is rather more svelte and little.