Bartimaeus

As we passed a boat and were thinking of mooring, the man in the boat, that was tied up, had his head out the hatch, and he wondered if we were okay. It might have been because we were slow or because he heard me talking to the swans and their cygnets. They were looking hopeful but rejected my healthy vegetable offerings. 

The man told us that the cygnets had been practising flying. That confirmed our decision to stop right here. As we moored up we saw the swan family gathering around the man's side hatch. He must feed them something they like better.

We were not to be rewarded with the loud beating of young wings and majestic taking off and landing. We didn't see them again, until we were setting off when they cygnets appeared and swam after us as we went along. I threw some breadcrumbs out this time.

They followed for quite some time but there was no sign of the parents. Shane thought they were adopting us as their new parents. They squabbled a bit with each other but stuck together all the same. Eventually they headed past us. We are going very slowly.

The weather has been a bit fluctuating. In the sun swallows have appeared but we have had to disappear inside avoiding showers. Nice weather for ducks, though we met a few enjoying the sunny spells too, out on the patio.

Just as we were contemplating looking to stop for the day, I spotted a kingfisher. It landed on a bare tree and we watched the blue spot as we crept forward. It flew off again a little way ahead and vanished. We decided this might be its reach and we moored up opposite where we had spotted it. There were plenty cows and Canada geese but no sign of the kingfisher. The bare branches were a perfect perch.

It rained overnight and, in the morning, I heard a cow coughing and mooing. I wondered if it might be in distress, slipping in the mud or caught in the fence. I got up and looked out of the window. One young one was near the water but still upright. Despite a very green field it was chewing on what I  thought were iris leaves. 

It ploutered about and coughed intermittently. It seemed not to be losing its footing fortunately but I looked up whether iris leaves are poisonous and apparently they are. They can cause pain or give a bit of discomfort to livestock, though it said it could be more serious for young animals. The rain eased off and I thought the best I could do for its health was to go outside and my appearance might scare it away. I slid back the hatch and emerged and it duly backed off. Other cows were coming over to the water but walked away from the boat. One calf was suckling which seemed more sensible.

There was no sign of the kingfisher landing on our tiller or anywhere. It had been entertaining anyway and there were now loads more geese. As it brightened we headed off. A large flock of geese took off from a field beside us. 

When rain started we thought we would stop and as soon as we had, so did the rain. We set off again. We waved to a little boy at the window with his grandad trying to encourage him to wave back. It wasn't such an easy day to be entertaining young ones with intermittent showers. We moored up again only to have a repeat performance, with it stopping as soon as we had tied up.

It brightened and we went off for a walk and passed some seep that were well prepared for the cooling weather, with woolly legs and faces. Their tails were about six inches wide.

Some younger ones were nearer the fence. They looked up now and then, but weren't afraid. 

They were sweet but not nearly as woolly as the adults. It was a multicoloured group. 

We walked round Walton On The Hill, stopping at a phone box library, a thatched cottage, an old pump and the church. Much of the village had no pavement and we had arrived at 'rush hour' when parents were picking children up from nursery and from school and sometimes both. One father had his hands full, literally, carring a young pre-schooler and negotiating with a young infant school age boy who obviously didn't like living on a hill and having to walk up it at the end of a tiring day.  Dad was explaining that the walk was only three minutes if they went quicker but longer if he stayed at his pace. He might be too tired to cope with that lesson.

I cracked on with knitting when we got back. I am almost finished my cardigan and only have sewing up and buttons to add. Then I look forward to looking out more wool in brighter colours for the next project.