Starting out on my blogging adventure

Hello.  
I have been tempted many times to start a blog but decided I didn't have time to update it on a regular basis.  However, having opted for semi-retirement at Christmas and now only working two days a week I feel the time is right to join the world of blogging.  Please bear with me as I get to grips with how all this works.

Over the Christmas holidays I found a new place to go and explore.  This is a local nature reserve called Rooksbury Mill and consists of two large lakes, some ponds and a stretch of the River Anton.  We visited fairly early one frosty morning when the light was really good for photography.

My first visit was with my son who has been there several times and always seen a kingfisher on his visits. Unfortunately we didn't see one on this occasion but having found this place I will certainly be visiting again.

There was quite a hoar frost which covered these leaves and the top of a bench in ice crystals.

We did see some mallard, tufted ducks, swans, moorhens, coots, dabchicks, long tail tits, great tits, bluetits, wrens and some very friendly tame robins.

Since this first visit I have been back again twice more, once with my husband and again with my son.  Still waiting to see that elusive kingfisher and also the otter which makes appearances on occasions but I did get to see a bird I have never seen before which was a firecrest (similar to a gold crest but with a vivid orange crest instead of a yellow one) and is, together with the gold crest, our smallest british bird.  Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photograph but my son did manage a quick shot which he has kindly given me permission to use on this blog.

I have a very busy week coming up, we are having a new kitchen installed and they are starting work on it next Monday so my days off this week will continue to be filled with sorting out all the cupboards and packing away things we still want and getting rid of some of the items we no longer need or are well past their best (we have been married for over 34 years and we were given some of the cookware as wedding presents). New kitchen = new cookware!


I hope to be back with another blog post very soon.