Sweetbriar Dreams

So where shall we go on our journey today?

Saturday 18 October 2014

Lunch with the Swans

Well, another week has passed in a blink of an eye and we are fast tracking to the end of October.  Is it me, or does the momentum of September and October get quicker each year?  I have been chasing my tail all week (what's new? I hear you say) but there was a brief moment when the sun shone so I decided to get away from the office and take a short walk to the River Nene to visit the swans for an hour  Want to come along?  
It was surprisingly quiet of people when I chose the bench to sit at.  Only one other person was sitting a few benches down, just gazing at the swans on the river.  As I sat down, I spent a moment drinking in the colours that surrounded me, especially up against a beautiful blue sky.
In front of my bench was an old rustic narrow boat.  It had seen better days, but this was clearly a loved and lived in vessel, getting ready for the cold days and nights ahead.
A commotion could be heard on the river and it didn't take a detective to work out what it was.  This swan clearly wanted everyone to know that it was time for a deep clean.  The violence and vigour of his wings as they crashed against the water, followed by the serene grooming was wonderful to capture and I became aware that I was this lonely middle aged woman smiling widely on a park bench!  Oh well, it made people keep a wide berth when they walked away.  Have you ever done that?  Suddenly realising your expression!
After the spectacular display, the quiet elegance was returned, with gentle lapping of webbed feet against the smooth rippling river.
It's feathers were now clean and looking like mounds of snow on a mountain side.
Lunch consisted of a Greggs sausage roll - oh go on then, maybe there were two in that paper bag!!
They were still hot, giving me extra time to savour my surroundings, including building work noises and the shrill noises of the geese nearby.  The other reason for buying two, yes there was a reason, was that there were more pastry to leave and feed these elegant birds.
Slowly they came to finish off my lunch scratchings, quickly joined by seagulls, geese, pigeons etc etc.  This little one though was having a bit of an afternoon rest!
He seemed to be happy enjoying the narrow boats that were a little further up the river.
Once finished, I headed back to work looking across the park which had colourful lorries, full of rides that were being packed away to move onto their next venue.
I love walking around these ancient walls of Peterborough Cathedral, and seeing the different seasons in progress.  The Cathedral is coming up to its 900th birthday and has certainly seen its fair share of all weathers through the years.
My walk to the office takes me past the Monks Kitchen, the oldest part of the precincts and was the place that the Monks prepared food all those centuries ago.
You can imagine how old this ancient graffitti is!  Those monks!  Tut tut!
And the ancient carvings.  I can never be tired of looking at these old, weathered carvings and hoping that they will be there in another 900 years.
But, time was up and I had to return to the office.  The view from the window is very different now  that the scaffolding has been taken down, so it means unfortunately I can't climb up again and touch those turrets and windows (for those new followers who are wondering if I've gone mad, my post on this is here - don't forget to wear your hard hat!).
Just an hour to refresh the batteries, take in a good walk and share lunch with the swans.  Perfect!

London Zoo beckons us for our trip next week!  I haven't been for years so counting down the days.

Thank you so much for your visits and comments last week.  My dad is very slowly improving, but this is taking longer than expected.

Have a lovely weekend and week.


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29 comments:

  1. Love your great pictures they are amazing. I guess I missed the news about your dad, so sorry ... praying he recovers and is up and enjoying time with you again.soon.

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  2. So glad your dad is doing better.
    Thanks for taking us with you for a lovely lunch. I enjoyed it very much.

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  3. Thanks for sharing your lunch break with us! The swans are beautiful, and I guess when they saw the camera, they decided to spruce themselves up a bit. We saw some loons cleaning themselves in the summer and we thought at first they were caught in fishing lines as they were flipping right onto their backs, and wings and feet flapping crazily. They must have had a terrible itch or something ;) Sorry to hear your dad has not been well (I've been away from blogging), but it sounds good that he is recovering. Everything takes longer when you get to a certain age. Take care Chel. Wendy x

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  4. Hi Chel, wow what a nice lunch break watching the swans on the water. Your lunch looked so good too and you are lucky to have such pretty views of the water and boats so close to work. Can't wait for the next post of the zoo! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and next week too. Take care.
    Julie

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  5. thanks for sharing such lovely pictures...i enjoy reading your posts...warm en encouraging...blessings

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  6. Taking time out during our working day can be very special, the swan is the most beautiful white. Lovely post and photos.
    Amanda

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  7. I was photographing swans doing exactly the same thing last week. They were throwing the strangest shapes.

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  8. I am glad to hear that your Dad is doing better and I hope that he just keeps getting better and better every day. What a lovely lunchtime walk you had, it is nice to get out and about isn't it, especially when you have lovely places to go to. I love your view from your office window too, that really is a great bonus to your job isn't it. Loved your last post too! xx

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  9. I could (and often do) sit and watch swans for ages. I'm pretty good at eating sausage rolls too but that's another story!

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  10. What a perfect way to enjoy lunch! And the view from your office window is stunning, I don't have a window in my office and if I did the view wouldn't be up to much.

    Hope your Dad continues to improve.

    Helenxx

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  11. I just love joining you on your trips, they are joyous and the pictures bring them alive. This sounds like a fabulous little slice of 'stolen time' to refresh the soul. It was lovely thinking of you sitting smiling just for the sheer pleasure of it. Cant wait for the trip to the zoo and hope your Dad continues to pick up.

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  12. I always enjoy your bogs the photos fit perfect with a well spoken story! =0)

    Love the close up on the swans eye I can literally see the emotion and elegance in his/her eye, and the detail in building absolutely perfect photography.

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  13. I enjoy your photos so much! You describe everything so well, it's almost like I'm there myself. Thanks for sharing!
    karen

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  14. A perfect lunchtime treat - for you and the swans! :o)

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  15. Thanks for your visit to my blog and "follow". I must say I find some of your composition here interesting and inspirational. What a great view from your work window and ... that must be the first time I've seen a picture of a Greggs sausage roll on a blog, you captured the texture well :-)

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  16. Could there be a better place for lunch? Great stuff.

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  17. Chel, I almost feel like I was sitting on that park bench with you! Spectacular photos, as always, and I especially love the ones of the cathedral and the monks kitchen.

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  18. I thoroughly enjoyed this lunch break with you, Chel! How lovely to see the swans preening and the interesting old boats floating by. So fun to see the carnival being trucked away, too. I can't even imagine a 900 year old building....Oh, the stories it could tell! Our part of the world wasn't even settled until the early 1900's. We are still a bit wild, I'm afraid. Looking forward to the zoo. Glad to hear your Dad is improving - such a worry. xo Karen

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  19. That was a great lunchtime rest and walk. I love to watch the majesty of large waterfowl. Your buildings are spectacular. Can't wait to see your visit to the zoo.

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  20. How lovely it is to go out for lunch and really get away from work for a while. Great pictures, always love to read your posts about your surroundings! Hope your dad continues to improve, Anita x

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  21. So glad that your dad is improving. Healing can take longer than expected. Loved the photo of the swan splashing about so magnificently. A walk by the river with a lunch in hand is a lovely way to get some respite from the day. Happy week, Chel.

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  22. Wonderful post. I bet it was something watching that swan cleaning like that. They are such graceful birds. It looks like an amazing place and the Cathedral was awesome. Thank you for sharing.

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  23. What lovely shots!

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  24. It's lovely to get out for a lunch time break in such beautiful surroundings. I'm just back from walking into the town where I work and getting soaked!! Hailstones as well as rain.

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  25. Holy Cow, woman....your photos just about brought me to my knees...they are all so awesome and what a great photographer you are. So enjoyed your photos.

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  26. It just wouldn't do for school to be near such beauty. I'd walk outside and never return! LOL

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