Today was a lovely sunny day, so I decided to take a stroll around my village. I couldn't help but notice that everything seemed to have sprung into life. The trees were lush and green, and the birds were feeding their young. One of the first things that caught my eye was the pink rhododendrons that were in full bloom in the middle of the copse.
Passing the village pond, I spotted that the swan had laid 7 eggs. I think she had 8 originally but rolled one out of the nest, so she probably knew it wasn't viable. While the sun was on the eggs, she was having a well-earned rest from sitting on them all day. The pair of swans haven't managed to hatch any eggs this past 3 years. The villagers are all hoping they manage it this year.
In the UK, there is a 'No Mow May' campaign that encourages people not to mow their lawns until the end of May. This is to allow more wildflowers to grow, so they produce more nectar for the bees. This stretch of my walk is behind the village medical centre, with the cow parsley growing on either side of the footpath. It's very wild looking but residents love it.
Walking down to the lido, all of the lily pads were out. They cover one corner of the lake.
There's also a pair of resident swans on the lido. Mr Swan was chilling with the ducks while Mrs Swan was on the nest.
Most people see buttercups as weeds if they are in their garden. I see them as wildflowers. When we were kids, we used to see if other kids liked butter. We held a buttercup under someone's chin, and if there was a yellow reflection on their skin, it meant they liked butter! Just silly folklore but good fun at the time.
The coots have already had their chicks. This parent was diving for food for the little one. It definitely feels as though a little bit of summer has arrived.
This post is for #sublimesunday initiated by @c0ff33a and #beautifulsunday by @ace108.
