That wasn't what we planned

The Safari knew we weren't going anywhere until later this arvo so had to make do with pottering around in the garden at Base Camp. 

There was something missing - the sound of running water! For some reason the pond pump/waterfall had stopped working. Not good for the fish if there's no aeration. So that was the morning's job and what a finickity job it turned out to be. One of those simple five minute jobs that ended up taking a couple of hours in the end.

Once we were finished Frank wanted a short walk and on the way back we spotted a nice grouping of native plants on the neighbours dry stone bank in her garden and went back after picking up the camera. The Bluebells are proper British ones  and probably planted, the Thrift is planted or an 'escape' from nearby plantings, the Sheep's Sorrel is what she would call a weed aka a wildflower that found its own way into her garden. Looks like a nice remote clifftop assemblage doesn't it.

Sadly we've not seen any of the Goodens Nomad Bees that inhabit the bank yet this year.

Once Wifey was back from mother-at-the-shops duty we had no more than hour to get out n about so a twitch was in order. The Scaup we dipped way back in January has been back on the lake for a couple of days and isn't too far away, so twitch-mode it was.

The park around the lake plays host to a Spitfire on a stick which we picture here as a tribute to VE day, 8th May.

 'During World War Two towns and villages across Britain embarked on various fund raising projects to help the War effort. The aircraft purchased under these schemes were named “Presentation Aircraft”. The residents of Lytham St Annes got behind Lord Beaverbrook’s “Spitfire Fund” campaign and pulled together as a community to raise a staggering £6,500 in 1941. The sum was matched by the Air Ministry and a Mk Vb Spitfire W3644 was built and allocated the name of “Lytham St Annes.'

More details can be found here

Once at the waterside it didn't take long to locate the Scaup (154) but it was distant and in the shade of the overhanging branches of the island it was sheltering from the brisk breeze behind...not showing down to a few feet as it was earlier in the day.

With so little time to spare it was tick and run but we were briefly distracted by  a family of Canada Geese grazing amongst the Daisies at the side of the lake. Lying down on the damp grass to get down to their level we couldn't resist firing a few shots off.

Cute or what?

Mum (or Dad) keeping  a close eye on what we were up to

Double cute!

Where to next? What will Patch 2 give us tomorrow morning?

In the meantime let us know who's winning the cute stakes in your outback