Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais recommends an unusual use for the neck feathers of a goose, still attached to the living bird.
To find out what, go to your favourite search engine with the term “rabelais goose neck” [WARNING – sixteenth century French toilet humour].
Bulrushes with wind-dispersed seeds separating from the stalk. I thought they looked like distressed stuffed toys losing their insides.
Great crested grebe swallowing a large fish it had just caught. The anglers who were watching didn’t seem to be appreciating the sight as much as me for some reason.
View of Parliament Piece on the edge of Kenilworth.
Said to be the site where Henry III held a session of Parliament in 1266 while his troops were laying siege to Simon de Montfort in the castle on the other side of the town.
The field is now a Local Nature Reserve, and at the time of my visit the wildlife which seemed to be doing best despite the marshy ground were the moles who had created an entire range of molehills.
Great tit on bough of tree by a path across Doxey Marshes.
Another sign of spring finally arriving – coltsfoot beginning to flower. The leaves which give the plant its name (supposedly resembling the footprint of a young horse) don’t come out until the plant has set its seeds.
