The day started with frost but had turned to sunshine for the Monday Market. The market is back in full swing after the festive season. The tree has gone as have the decorations. Two Italian flags were flying. The Grimsby Fish van was there.
The butcher was calling out ‘Sirloin Steak, Pork Chops’. The fruit and veg man called back ‘Bananas.’
A lovely morning for a walk over the bridge and beside the River Thames.
Helen has the first litter pick of 2022 lined up. It is still a few weeks away and a lot can happen in that time but you can put it in your diary. There are some ad-hoc litter pickers who don’t wait for an organised litter pick to get litter picking so this post is more for those less ad-hoc litter pickers.
As to the litter droppers, stop dropping your litter on the ground, and stop dropping litter (including cigarette butts) out of your car. Put it in the bins provided and if they are overflowing then take it to the next bin, or take it home and drop it in the black or green wheeled bin.
A lot of the frost had melted when I walked round the park, but it did seem to stay longer on the bowling green than other grass. Not sure I can explain that.
Frost in the long shadow of the Albert Memorial was also taking longer to melt. I should think it is warmer where the sun shines.
A bush with pink / red berries is popular with all sorts of birds. Somebody might recognise the bush.
Scattered light through branches is reflected by mist to make shafts of light?
I cycled along the Sustrans Route 5 to Radley Lakes mid afternoon. In this view St David’s Meadow can be seen on the left with Thrupp Lake beyond.
There seemed to be a lot of birds about round Thrupp Lake.
They included ducks, coots, moorhen, gulls,
swans,
grebes,
cormorants, and others.
On some smaller areas of water, and on some shallow ponds and lakes, ice had not melted all day.
This view is across one of the lakes that was filled with ash from Didcot Power Station where trees have grown. There is a path all the way round and there is still wetland and shallow lakes or ponds at the far side near the railway and River Thames.
After the sun went down, at 4:20, there were trails of birds in the sky heading north.