It's the same with fishing, if you don't go, you don't catch anything, you have to have a bait in the water to tempt a fish. The same logic applies to photography, if you don't go out you won't get the shot. It was with that thought in mind I decided on a walk. Firstly I called down the hide to top up the feeders, I wonder why I am bothering at the moment as there is very little showing. Having said that my bird seed is disappearing each day, so something is helping themselves to it, probably Squirrels, Mice, Crows and the like. As I left the hide I walked towards the Manor House, I had not been near it for some time now. Joe had been having an extension to the kitchen area so I was interested to see how it was progressing, as you can see from the image below, it is coming along mighty fine.

Manor House extension

Can you believe those roof tiles are man made, they are a double for Switherland slate, the materiel used for the main house. Looking around the duck pond I noticed three Indian Runner ducks, Sue had told me she had acquired some and was soon to let them out to take their chance in the wild, they reminded me of our runners that succumbed to the fox during the last Winter, although ours were not white in colour.

Indian Runners

I walked towards the little church that sits opposite the Manor House and sat in the grave yards for a while on one of the bench seats provided, it was so quite all I could hear was a Pigeon that was sat in the tree above me, it was making that throaty Pigeon noise that they make and it reminded me of my school days when I used to fish the canal at Newton Harcourt, funny how I always associate this sound with Newton. As I gazed over the fields in the distance I heard the squeal of a Kestrel, as I looked through my bins I caught a glimpse of him just as he landed on a leafless branch of an Oak tree. I watched as it's gaze followed a dog walking woman and her two dog's directly below. Obviously she was unaware she was being stared at, she was in no real danger though, never heard of a Kestrel eating a Human or a Dog come to that. I meandered across the field to bridge number 79 on the Grand Union canal. This bridge was under great discussion when I lived in the village during the 1980's because it was in urgent need of repair, British Waterways wanted to replace it with a modern concrete structure for cheapness I guess, but the villagers campaigned against that design and insisted it be rebuilt as the original was. I am so glad we did as it now stands in all it's glory for us all to enjoy for the next hundred years.

A view from bridge 79

I saw a guy fishing and got chatting a while, he had been retired a week and decided to get back into fishing having stopped around 20 years ago due to work commitments, he commented how it had took him forty five minutes to set his tackle up (sounds like my budgie mate Tuppy) He said when in his younger day's it would take him five minutes, it reminded me of a time in the 1970's when me and my Dad were fishing at Oulton Broad in Norfolk, tie this hook on for me our Mick will you he said, you old fart I thought, I can fully relate to him now. Poor old Dad, I wish I had been more tolerant towards him when I was younger.

Caught owt mate

As I passed under bridge 80 I saw a sign warning me of overhead power cables, there were other signs warning not to fish between two points again because of overhead power cables. It reminded me of a seminar on safety I attended when working, there was a police officer giving a talk on the power of signs, and to emphasise his point he held up a sign that would appear on the ladies toilet door and asked who would pass this sign, obviously the women in the room put up their hands as I did, but no one else. A no entry sign has the same effect, we do not enter, a no right turn etc etc. What a shame the guy who owned this pair of socks next to this sign did not obey it, obviously blown his socks off. I looked around for the rest of him but found nothing, so I guess he will remain a mystery.

Shocking or Socking!

A boat passed and I waved to the two guys sitting at the tiller and then smiled, why does it always seems to be the women that walk the tow path between locks with the lock paddle key in their possession, ready to open the next lock, I often wonder if they ever actually get on the boat at all, other than to cook that is. I watched as she struggled to open the paddles on each side and then pushed the lock gates open, all this while the two blokes were deep in conversation.

Hurry up luv

One thing I have noticed since I retired is that I have time now to actually stop and pass the time of day, something I considered a complete waste of time when I was trying to fit all the things I needed to do into the hours available when working, I walked past the Lock house and on to the far end of the field when I heard the noise of a strimmer in the small woodland that was planted in remembrance of John's Mum when she died, she loved tree's as does John so I guess it was no surprise to find the person on the end of the strimmer was infact John himself the owner of the house. I commented on remembering the day the tree's were planted and how it seemed only yesterday, he reminded me it was over 12 years now, amazing how much growth they had gained in that time. We chatted for some time about all sorts of things, and about how I had tried to purchase the lock house in the early 90's. I have to say then it was a mess, credit to John he has it looking great now. I got off the tow path at the end of John's Mum's wood at bridge 81 and took a photo looking back to the lock house, it looked so Serene.

Idyllic scene

I returned to my patch having completed a circuit around one side of it, I walked towards the river and sat with my back against a fence post. It was so very quite, a Bullfinch came near but did not hang about long enough for me to get a picture, I was looking at a green woodpecker at distance with my binoculars as it attacked an ants nest with relish, when all of a sudden I noticed a Grey Heron walking directly towards me, It obviously was unaware of my presence, I took a picture of it as I did it heard the shutter click and was away.

Grey Heron

It just goes to show if you sit still long enough, nature will come to you. Did I get the shot? Yeah, I reckon I did.