It was….. Mother’s day yesterday

Well, better late than never!  I should have posted about this yesterday but as you can imagine I was more involved with the family and being outdoors in the wonderful spring sunshine than wanting to spend time indoors on the computer!

I rose to a beautiful sunny spring morning.  During the day the kids came round (my youngest baby is going to be 29 this year!) with lovely flowers/plants and cards.  Aaaaaaah!  I know it is a commercial thingy but, heck, it is nice to be spoilt any time, isn’t it?

Anyway, we had several jobs to do which were outstanding like putting up a new clothes line.  Sad really.  To think of the things that excite you as you get older!

Then, since the weather was being so kind we decided to go for a walk and I took these pictures.  Yes, I know they are of the usual spring like flowers etc but  it is a wonderful time of year!

 

I have this as my desktop background.  I just love the way the daffodils are peeking out!  If you click on the photo you will see the enlarged version.

Here we have a host of golden daffodils!

Walking round the corner we spotted this swan.  There is usually a mate nearby but today this one was the only one in evidence.

 

Usually you would see plenty of green algae and moss on these rocks but I guess it was still a wee bit too cold.

To finish up I couldn’t resist taking this shot of the sun shimmering and twinkling on the water.

As the seasons change more colour will appear and we will be able shed our winter overcoats to enjoy the warm sunshine once again!

PQ

Couldn't resist it!

I know I have already been for many walks and posted pictures of scenes I encountered but we went back to Sheffield Park yesterday afternoon and couldn't resist taking more pictures. This Park is famous in our area for beautiful scenery, especially at this time of year. And so, really, I should not have been so surprised when we had to join a lengthy queue at the main entrance. Standing patiently in line, one of the volunteer organisers asked for those with National Trust membership to step forward. We did only to find an astonishing number of people who were handing over not insignificant amounts of cash for the privilege of visiting the gardens for a couple of hours that remained of the cool daylight.

As we walked in we did find some beautiful views even though I thought the colours must have peaked a couple of days ago. Also, the sun was not shining so much so that the bright colours were not highlighted as much.

These are some of the photos I took on our walk.

I love the contrast of the deep green against the reds and orange flame coloured foliage.

Just look at the contrast of the 'red' carpet with the yellowing leaves still on the tree.

Here an old oak tree has been chopped down leaving some of the old trunk for ivy to grow on but it gives an interesting shape/accent with the surrounding trees.

In this shot of the trees across the lake you can still evidence of the lily pads which will later be replaced by slips of ice as the depths of winter approach.

I love this last picture of the lake which shows so many different types of trees. The conifer that is stooping down the water's edge is beautiful. This picture is on my laptop as a screen save!

These guys would not look up at me! No matter what noise I made or where I stood, they were far too busy to take any notice of any nosey passerby, no matter what! After a while I did decide to move on since swans can be a little aggressive!

We really enjoyed our walk even though the park was very full of people who were all out to enjoy the last vestiges of autumn. At least I managed to be patient and take the photos after people had moved on!