River Severn and The Doc's, Worcester: Thursday, 20th August, 2020.

 

 Feeding the swan family as a Cruise ship from Gloucester......um....cruises by.

At The Doc's (well, the car park) for a weekly blood test.

Nice mask. Better than the white ones.

Still makes my ears stick out.

River Severn, Royal Hospital, and Blackpole, Worcester: Wednesday, 19th August, 2020.

There are swans are upstream and downstream but none of them are 'ours'.

These three are minding their own business but they are heading into trouble.

Two territorial swans are waiting just downstream.

Could they be 'our' parents protecting their cygnets?

Yes. Sure enough, the cygnets are nearby.

Vicky gets shakin'................

.........and feedin'.

First time we've seen the whole family together for a few days.

Nice plums!

We've arrived at the hospital for a 3:40pm appointment.

We leave the hospital at 5:20pm having still not been seen by the consultant.

The nurse apologised and said there was still two more patients to be seen and she didn't know how much longer things would take so, having lost the will to live, we decided to leave.

That's two hours (almost) of our lives we'll never get back.

Only one place can cheer us up now............

........KFC at Blackpole!

First time we've been out for something to eat since March.

And it's all thanks to The Chancellor's 50% off Mon-to-Weds offer.

Big Shop Pt II about to start.

Glad that's over for another week.

Absolutely exhausted now.

 

Gheluvelt Park and town and back, Worcester: Tuesday, 18th August, 2020.

 

Just three cygnets on the river today (and you've got to look hard to see one of them).

Of course, with a swift shake of the swan food, two others appear.

No sign of the sixth cygnet or the parents today.

A heron (about to take off).

Mask on in the bank........

.......and in and out of the Post office 

(and everywhere in the town centre for that matter).

Vicky's lunch:

Salad, houmous, and pitta bread.

Big Shop, Droitwich, and a walk in Gheluvelt Park and beyond, Worcester: Monday, 17th August, 2020.

 

Giving the trolley a good old fashioned wipe clean.

Face mask on and about to venture inside.

Vines Park from the western end......

.......and from the eastern end.

No sign of the swan family this week.

The park looks deserted without them.

Must have gone up the canal.

Returning to the car.

Glad that's over for another week.

The mightiest river in our sceptred isle and only one cygnet to be seen.

Time to give the swan food container a shake. 

Aha. That's done the trick.

The other five soon appear out of nowhere.

All six making short work of our swan food pellets.

No sign of the parents today.

There aren't many bumble bees to be seen at the moment 

but those that are around are certainly industrious.

Evening meal:

Warm chicken and turkey bacon salad with pine nuts, and pitta bread.

Dessert:

Apple (for Vicky),

orange (for David).

Saturday, 15th August, 2020.

 

Coffee and walnut cake.

Mother swan on the river........

....and the father swan is in the park.

No sign of the cygnets anywhere.

Squirrel tries to remember where it has just buried a M & S hazelnut.

River Severn and back home, Worcester: Friday, 14th August, 2020.

 

For the second day running this not very close-knit family are amongst us again.

Plus one duck. 

Evening meal:

Sweet and Sour Chicken stir fry with noodles.

What some of us have to do at bedtime 'cos someone else wants to watch the telly.

One happy family, River Severn, Worcester: Thursday, 13th August, 2020.

 

Both parents and all their cygnets.

First time we have seen/fed the whole family together for about a fortnight.

Not exactly a close-knit unit.

We saw the egret again today. Couldn't get a photo tho'.

We told 'em their boat was sinking.

Two snails canoodling. In public. In Worcester - a hotbed of canoodling in public.