Geese

My computer is a bit glitchy today so I turn quickly to some recent photographs of geese.  Here are a pair of greylag (ancestors to most domestic geese) surveying their domain. 

Meanwhile the Canada Geese are prowling along the expanding edge of the lake

while keeping an eye out for the local humans who often appear with some easy eating.  I think they might be disappointed 

because nobody will be sitting on this green lakeside seat.  Its rather ironic that boating on the park lake was cancelled in the summer

 and the boathouse closed because of low water levels however in the springtime

 I was amused at this group of five children on a pedalo who were not shelling out for two boats when they could cram onto one.   No need to guess where the weight is concentrated and the life jackets in the back might come in handy.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at the letter G here

j

Water

We have had a lot of water recently weeks and weeks of rain  as the storms come in wave upon wave from the Atlantic but here on the sunny May days of my photographs there is not a drop is in the air.  Silently and unseen an underground water supply makes its way to the taps of the valley.  Nature gave us a dryish summer and the boating house of the local park lake closed up because water levels were too low but they were high enough for the resident water fowl. 

The Goose family were too quick for me, taking to the water as I approached.  I often saw this pair in May always attentive to their lone chick, the other eggs cannot have hatched and probably fallen victim to a predator, I suspect the local herring gulls who are always after an easy meal.  Inland the gulls are nowhere to be seen and in a water fountain

this duck is showing off  its waterproof feather as it made a slow turn changing direction under the rhododendron trees

the sunlight dazzlingoff the droplets. 

Russell Square fountain, London

Was this little boy about to test the waterproof nature of his clothing (nil) or skin (good)?  Water fountains are an irresistable attraction with their frothing water but I think he is undecided and one small step might be enough. It was a rather chilly day, as you can see from the number of people wearing jackets and scarves.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at W here   

 

Little Lines

Little trains on little lines and running today, well actually Sunday afternoons from March to October in Barrow Park.

The signals up, the engine's steaming and a wave from the 'station'

The little lines run in a quarter mile circuit on an elevated 3.5 and 5" gauge track and various model locomotives pull the 'carriages'.

Here is one of the diesels running past the old Furness Railway Signal Box (Devonshire Road) which provides water for the steam engines

and copious cups of tea for the member of the Furness Model Railway volunteers.  I'm not sure how long this little railway has been running in the park but the society itself was formed in 1956 and in the 1960s the Devonshire Road Signal Box was still located on the old railway line on the Low Road.

Photo from: http://www.southlakes-uk.co.uk/userrequested.html

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Returning to the present here is one of the little trains completing its circuit.

Of course every railway has an engineering shed and the Furness Model Railway is no exception

On a beautifully warm September afternoon the best place to tinker with the rolling stock

is under clear sunny skies

Walking through Barrow Park today all was quiet, the signal was at stop,  the signal box locked up (I'm cheating here as I took this photo back in March), the lines were empty but nearby there was still a set hobbyists in place but in this case, model ships rather than trains, and putting their  

sailing ships through their paces round the buoys of the park lake for Tuesday is their day.

 

 

 An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at L here 

Birkenhead Boathouse and Bridge

It was daffodils time when I took this picture of the Boathouse in Birkenhead Park.  The park itself was designed by Joseph Paxton on reclaimed marshland and opened in 1847 for the then rapidly growing town of Birkenhead, the first publicity funded civic park in Britain,  The boathouse was originally designed by a young architect called Lewis Hornblower, its full name is the Roman Boathouse and with sponsorship by the Mobil Oil Company was renovated and  restored in 1990. In keeping with the theme a

new pebble mosaics inside by Maggy Howath featuring fish, birds and sun was created and installed

Paxton created serpentine lakes to give the impression of natural rivers and Lewis Hornblower designed their bridges (along with park railings and gates).

On this my first visit to the park, my own favourite was the Swiss Bridge which must be one of the few, if not only, covered bridge in Britain.

Meanwhile here are a couple of geese wondering if they or the fishermen are going to find anything interesting.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning at B here

Quick Chicks

"Hello.Just enjoying a quiet day with my chicks.  Hey look out humans about!"

"Quick gather up.  Off we go"

"Come on form a queue".

"Don't hang back, keep up the quick pace, its all up the hill now until we reach water"

These chicks are bigger than this now, I love to see them grow, they will soon be big enough to quack.

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet

 

ABC Wednesday - Zorb

Ambling through my local park this past summer I spotted something new in the distance by the boat hire shed.  Zounds I thought what is happing over there with the strange orbs in the water.

So off for a nosey and discovered a new attraction for the school holidays, a collection of Zorbs.  You can see the zip entrance where one can enter the Zorb world. The fruitless efforts of children of all ages to make the ball move across the water entertained me on all those occasions I walked through the park this summer, that and watching the various techniques to try to get motion across the water.  I would give all the participants an A for effort.  The local model yacht fraternity

 seemed oblivious to all the activity of flailing arms and legs zorbing to their right and their models

peacefully zoomed across the lake.

An entry to ABC Wednesday where we have reached the end of the alphabet. Are you on board for Round 10?