Daily exercise

My intention is always to go out for at least a short walk every day. In truth, I only manage that about fifty percent of the time - but when I do go for a wander, I usually enjoy it. I rarely stray from my familiar, local paths if I'm just going out for exercise yet it's surprising that it's never boring since nothing is ever exactly the same.  

As September progresses, the autumn tints are beginning to appear. Our horse chestnut trees in particular seem to have suffered from the drought and some of them have also become diseased. There's a fungus that causes the leaves to go blotchy but, in addition, an infestation of horse chestnut leaf miner, the larvae of a moth, has spread to UK trees from the Continent, causing browning and shrivelling of the leaves, with the result that many of our horse chestnuts are exhibiting an autumnal appearance already. The foliage of the rest of our deciduous trees will soon follow suit. 

I was mildly surprised to see all these swans on the canal. For one thing I haven't seen a swan locally for ages and, for another, it's fairly rare that they manage to raise seven cygnets to young adulthood. Encouraging to see... I often fear that the local goose population has an adverse effect on other species. When I got my phone out to take a photo they all swam over expectantly, hoping for some food. Once they realised I had none, they resumed their stately progress downstream.  I wonder if they've realised that technically they have a new owner now - King Charles III rather than the Queen. The monarch can traditionally lay claim to all 'unclaimed' swans in open water. 

I also spotted a kingfisher flying along the river - so small, so fast and always keeping to the deep shade of the far bank. It was impossible to photograph but lovely to see nevertheless.