Moorhens' appearance

Awake to sunshine, and a pancake breakfast. Then I finished tomorrow's sermon, printed it and packed my bag ready for the morning and cooked lentils with quinoa for lunch. I felt tired after a broken night's sleep but failed to sleep after eating so went out for a walk instead, with leaden legs. 

First, to Thompson's Park, and spotted among the mallard ducks on the pond a couple of young grey birds smaller than a mallard with a white patch under their tails and black legs. I wondered if it was a juvenile moorhen. A quick google consultation confirmed it was. Moments later at the far end of the pool I saw an adult moorhen, distinguished by the red patch on the bridge of its beak. It stayed at a distance and moved too fast get a photo as I only had the manual 50mm prime lens on my Sony Alpha 68. Impossible to tell if it was this bird that made a nest on a lily pad in the park's garden pond three months ago when Jasmine was here. I've not seen an moorhen return to the park to lay eggs since then, unless the bird has been very secretive. Anyway, it's welcome news.

Then I walked to Llandaff Fields where Clare called me to fix a rendezvous as she'd come out to get some fresh air later than I. We walked through the woods along the Taff as far as Blackweir and after Clare had a drink from the mobile Tuk-Tuk cafe across the bridge, we returned home.

Clare surprised me by cooking a batch of waffles for supper. As I fancied something savoury I heated up half a can of baked beans left over from supper a couple of days ago. It made a worthwhile change from having them on toast!

Nothing of interest to watch on telly tonight, so I spent the evening reading Anthony Beevor's 'Battle for Spain. I want to finish it this week so I can give it to Anto to read. They return from Sta Pola this week and are coming to see us next weekend for a night at the opera, the opening of 'Ainadamar' by Osvaldo Gollimov. It'll be our first ever opera in Spanish. Kath has been sending me photos of the Fiesta del Moros y Cristianos cosplay weekend in Sta Pola, a very popular public event with street parades centering on the castle. I'd love to be there. Maybe another year, who knows?