Frampton Court, near Stroud

Whilst viewing this on my laptop, I can see there's a lot of noise. Maybe  I should get my camera out, instead of my phone. The problem is storage space for all those photos...

Another cracking hot day. We were both up early. Steve suggested another trip to Frampton Court Lake, early, before it got too hot. I was ready quite soon, but somehow it was nearly eleven before we left...

When we got into the estate ground, some greylag geese came towards us, both parents, with their goslings who were so grown up that they were really only downy around their bottoms. As we went on,  the pattern was repeated with the tame geese and goslings, but some goslings were young enough to be still quite downy.  I lay down on the landing stage, as usual, with a book, and before I knew it a goose and her goslings were all around me, pecking and poking at the grass and checking me out. They are so wonderfully trusting; nature and wildlife are great healers. Here, where we live, we are surrounded by nature, but also by quite a lot of squabbling children, who throw their toys out over the fence onto the road, so that the street is awash with broken pieces of plastic. I know from experience that children love throwing toys over the fence/on to the roof/wherever, but no one ever picks these ones up and returns them (except sanctimonious me!)

After an hour or so of reading, with Steve wandering around clicking his shutter, I thought I'd better take a photo,  but the best one of the day turned out to be of the 'big hoose', Frampton Court, not of the lake. It was such a still day, with just the occasional breeze or cloud, and a passerby every fifteen minutes or so. CleanSteve wanted to drive to the nearby village of Frampton-on-Severn, whereas I wanted to walk along the footpath through the estate , so we met in the village, which is picture-perfect, the scene of many a period drama set in an English village, or perhaps suitable for a series of jigsaw puzzles based around cottages of different types...

From there we went on a motor tour, to Splatt's bridge over the Gloucester to Sharpness canal, where we saw swallows diving, and back through the villages of Eastington, Frocester, Leonard Stanley, Kings Stanley, Middleyard, Selsley West, and finally Stroud. It was two o'clock. 

We had, lunch, I did my jigsaw, which is a totally impossible one. Washed some clothes. Hung them out. Then finally when the weather had cooled somewhat, I donned protective clothing and started trashing the nettles and brambles that have taken over our garden. Last year was the great re-wilding. This year may be the great re-claiming. I am no gardener, but I can do the horrible stuff. Thus far, I haven't felt like it, but seeing Steve working night and day to get some foodstuff growing, and reclaiming some flowering space, inch by inch, has spurred me on. No more than an hour a day, though, to begin with. It's so itchy and scratchy!

Oh, and I sold another jigsaw on eBay. Time to list some more.