An early morning walk.

We woke to a beautiful sunny morning today, so decided to go for a walk before everyone else was up and about. We headed out to Decoy park, where it was lovely and peaceful.

I took some bread to feed the ducks, and this beautiful swan glided up..

with her four cygnets, no doubt the same ones we saw earlier in the year, my how they`d grown

On the fence I noticed the black headed gulls were beginning to lose their black hoods..

It was a lovely still morning, the water was like a sheet of glass, the water lilies like green plates

As we stood admiring the view, there was some very high pitched tweeting, and these baby moorhens swam out from among the reeds, following their mother.

we carried on along the windy path, where glossy ferns on the banks were shiny with the morning sunshine

The Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo Pint, have lost their little hoods, and sport bright orange berries, like traffic lights.

The sun filtered through the trees, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of leaves, and damp earth. In the distance we could hear church bells ringing, breaking the peace of the morning.

Evenually we reached Beech walk, where the beautiful trees made a green tunnel to walk along

As we walked, we could hear a Woodpecker drumming in the treetops, and squirrels scampered up and down the branches. As we reached the little brook that bubbled and gurgled over the stones, we noticed a wasps nest in the bank, we didnt hang around, as they were flying backwards and forwards to their nest.

The wood was lovely and quiet, there were few people about, and the birds were silent and shy, as they`d finished nesting, and were going through their moult.

Evenually we came to the Magazine Pond, where the sun sparkled on the water, and the purple loosestrife pierced the undergrowth

I was pleased to see the new bulrushes, tall and chocolate brown..keeping guard around the pond. In the water the roach were swimming around in a large shoal, some leaping on the surface.

In the hedgerows, the blackberry bushes are heavy with their fruit, its a really good year for them

and above the Hawthorn hung with bright red berries.

Some of the umbelliers were reduced to crispy skeletons, hung with gold pennies..

Everywhere, there were signs that the year was getting on, and Autumns just round the corner...

The wood is full of Hazels, and they were festooned with bunches of nuts..

and crisp rosy apples, a feast for the wasps no doubt..

The path briefly leaves the wood, and comes out on to a playing field, in the distance the houses sat and slumbered on this lazy Sunday morning...

Back in the wood, I was delighted to see the path littered with damsons, like a handful of golden gems thrown down, I dont think I`ve ever seen wild damsons before.

The path comes out again by the lake, where the flowers are lacey amongst the grasses..

and butterflies sun themselves..

The swan family had settled themselves in grasses to preen and soak up the sun.

It was a lovely peaceful walk and a good start to the day.