Frosty morning, Salwarpe & Worcester, Wednesday, 30th November, 2016.

Salwarpe Village Hall casts a long shadow across a frosty field prior to Cardio Fit session.

60 mins later the frost had gone.

Back in Worcester and there's still plenty of frosty undergrowth in Gheluvelt Park.

Tufts of frosty grass in Gheluvelt Park.

Backlit frosty tree in, you guessed it, Gheluvelt Park.

River level at the kingfisher lookout is now almost back to normal.

Down-river view of The Severn.

Up-river view complete with cormorant taking off with a fish in its gob.

You'll have to take my word for that.

Suckley, and the drive home: Tuesday, 29th November, 2016.

Trees on one side of the valley cast their shadows on the trees on the other.

View from Holloways as the sun begins to set.

We knew there were dogs at Holloways but we didn't know there was a cat as well.

We do now.

The sun sets over Worcestershire as we drive back home.

This field came complete with a buzzard and three herons.

They all took off once someone with a camera got out the car and stuck his head up above the parapet.

Mist and farmyard smoke.

Mist across the fields.

Even at the end of the day the frost remains.

The Not Very Big Clean Up begins, Worcester, Friday, 25th November, 2016.

Workmen removing sediment from Kleve Walk.

Undaunted swans remain in hopeful mood.

Don't look too closely at the cathedral - there's scaffolding all over it. 

Ongoing renovations. 

Cleaning up process in full tilt on Hilton Road and…..erm…that's the full extent of it.

Kingfisher's lookout post is revealed once more.

Unlikely to see any kingfishers until the river is shallower, slower and clearer.

But we'll keep checking.

Levels dropping due to no rain shock! Worcester, 24th November, 2016.

Water has receded from the passageway to the river from College Green but there's 

too much sediment  for us to be able to wander along Kleve Walk.

Pointing out the fact that the 'drop' has returned.

View along Kleve Walk from The Cathedral grounds.

There's a Jay in that tree but our camera isn't good enough to prove it, 

so you'll have to take our word for it.

Pigeons wheeling above South Quay.

Swans are always hopeful but, as per, we haven't got anything.

Nearly back home and there's still no sign of the kingfishers lookout perch.

It might have got swept away of course.

River rising, Worcester, Wednesday, 23rd November, 2016.

Walked into town and gone all the way around The Cathedral and through College Green only to find that the passage onto the river footpath (Kleve Walk) is flooded. 

Didn't expect that 'cos the racecourse isn't flooded.

Time to turn back then.

Not much of a 'drop' to 'beware' at the mo'.

(View of river from Cathedral grounds).

Pigeon acrobatics over South Quay.

Still no way through to the river at Hood Street.

View of racecourse from Sabrina Bridge.

Plenty of water on it.

Will the footpath home be flooded?

The tree in the centre of the photo usually defines the water's edge.

This is the only part of the river footpath that has flooded.

Just a small diversion required.

Compare and contrast with the photo taken yesterday.

Much bigger diversion required today.

Lots of rain = first flood of the winter, Worcester, Tuesday, 22nd November, 2016.

Barbourne Brook is in flood.

The river is already flooding Gheluvelt Park/Old Waterworks and so a diversion is required to get to the  wall by the willow tree overlooking the Severn.

 The dead tree on the far bank upon which kingfishers keep an eye out for 

fish is now completely inundated.

That indicates (by our in-expert calculations, that the river level has risen about 6 - 8 feet in just 48 hours and there's still plenty of water from Shropshire and Wales to get to these here parts yet.

Steps down to a favourite spot for local anglers are now under water.

Of course, some folk take it all in their stride.

Look at the fella on the far right: fast asleep!

A short while later, it's a rendezvous with Victoria at our favourite place in town for lunch (Elgar's), before a quick visit to M&S and then a trudge home along the roads 

(never as interesting as along the river).

The Visitor (name unknown), Auntie Lou's, Erdington: Sunday, 20th November, 2016.

Firstly, a photo taken yesterday in the Droitwich Waitrose Car Park of the last autumnals of 2016 just hours before the overnight rain and storms arrived and blew all the leaves off the trees.

This cat has been visiting Auntie Lou's for at least ten years.

Probably 'cos Auntie Lou keeps on feeding him.

He could be a boy, she could be a girl, he/she is very friendly, and he/she lives a couple of doors down.

Other than that, we know nothing.

The Visitor heads back home.

Vicky, Kevin, and Auntie Lou with some evidence of scrummy scran mostly finished.

Vicky's 'camera smile' needs toning down, methinks.

Things you see on a constitutional (well, some of them), Worcester: Tuesday, 8th November, 2016,

Heron, just upstream from The Cathedral, giving the river a good hard stare.

Council workers are busy sawing down trees along Pitchcroft.

How do they know it's time to chop a tree down?

They are all about the same age (one presumes) and height.

Do they tap 'em or summat to check whether they have got tree-rot?

It's a dark science.

Highly cropped photo No1.

Can you spot the kingfisher?

It's right at the top of the highest branch of the dead tree that's fallen into the river.

You'll have to take our word for it but it is there.

A neighbour told us that it's a good place to see them.

She's not wrong.  

Saw 2 on Friday and this one today.

That's 12 sightings between us in 11 years. Prior to Friday it was 9 in 11.

That ratio, with luck, should continue to improve somewhat from now on. 

Highly cropped photo No2:

Photo of a pigeon roosting in a neighbours autumnal tree taken through our kitchen window.

Vicky, just below, and driving off on a mission to various retail outlets, unfortunately, just out of shot.

the Adventures Of Sam, River Severn, Worcester, Sunday, 6th November.

If you look closely (towards the top left corner) you can spot the head, the shoulders, and the wake of Sam The Pointer as he swims at a rapid rate of knots up the freezing cold river.

We've seen plenty of dogs swimming in the river close to the bank but never one swimming in the middle of the river, against the flow and, seemingly, determined to reach Stourport in record time.

He's certainly caught our attention and that of a party of four anglers.

His owner is quite relaxed about things until we tell him that there's 

no way back on to the bank if Sam goes any further.

Cue much frantic shouting of 'Sam!', and 'Here Boy!', from all concerned.

Thankfully, Sam makes a sharp turn to starboard and the anglers guide him 

to the best landing spot (bottom left-hand corner).

Once reunited with his owner we can all relax and we look on as Sam trots off to complete his circuit of the racecourse oblivious to all the fuss he has caused.

An awful selfie taken much later, as we make our way home from town, to show that the lovely warm autumn days we have had lately may well be a thing of the past 

and the days of multi-layers are now upon us.