Chicks on display

Back under cloud, humid with occasional showers and sunshine today. I thought I slept reasonably well and got up just after eight to make breakfast, feeling tired nevertheless. Neither of us were in the mood for Saturday pancake making today. Clare had a painful night with her hip. I admit I'm concerned about how she'll cope with the cruise. Will really hot weather help to ease the pain or make it worse? 

I went for a short walk in Thompson's Park after breakfast in an effort to feel more fully awake. All four of the moorhen chicks were pecking away in the mud on the far edge of the pond, noticeably bigger now than last week. A man was changing his infant's nappy on a bench as I walked by. I was surprised when the child looked up at me and gave me a wave, rather than looking at his dad or protesting at his containment.

Having avoided working on my tax return yesterday, I returned to it to find that I was still lacking some of the information required, embedded in my bank account. Online banking didn't provide what I needed, so I had to collect it from each quarterly statement printout which took a long time. I stopped to cook lunch and then slept in the chair for over an hour before finishing the chore I seem to need close to eight hours sleep nowadays rather than nearer to seven. I can manage, but don't feel as good. It wakes me half a day to feel alert and sharp. It must be something to do with sleep quality, but I don't know what to do about it.

Late afternoon I walked around Pontcanna Fields. Preparations for a big charity fun run tomorrow have started, with a couple of rows of portable toilets installed.  I heard a teenager remark to her friend about the appearance of the porta-potties, wondering what event was going to happen. Three huge event lorries with attached trailer drove on to the far end of the field, but couldn't go further as a cricket match hadn't yet finished. 

On the Taff, I saw a pair of swans with a couple of cygnets that have grown to the extent their plumage is starting to show white feathers among the gray brown. A little further up river, the gaggle of Canada geese occupied the water. I spotted a pair of growing goslings, not yet moulting. There may have been more of them sticking close to their parents. I didn't have a clear view of them all together and in their grey brown down feathers their outline at a distance and on the move isn't all that distinct. It's visible in photos other than those shot at close quarters. It's the same with moorhen chicks and cygnets too. Very useful attire for confusing normally sharp eyed predators.

We had supper a little earlier than usual. After watching the last half hour of last night's Sommerdahl Murder, I spent the rest of the evening reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez until bed time