Feeding time

What do you do on a dreich Sunday afternoon in the middle of a pandemic and you need a photo for the day? 
Well, I persuaded M to try his hand at feeding the swans on Airthrey loch, Stirling University. Until one grabbed his finger.
 
Once upm a time these birds  were a status symbol eaten by the rich on festive occasions like Christmas, a custom started 
by King Henry 111 when he ordered  40 swans for his Christmas celebrations.
 
And my favourite room in Stirling castle is the kitchen with its 
fibreglass replica of a royal feast, which includes half a dozen swans.
 
Today  though the aristocracy  no longer eat them and they are 
a protected species  with the  Queen owning a large number.