A Lake in the Hills

I walked to this lake at the weekend. It sits in a hollow in the hills. The weather was a bit cooler than it has been as it had rained overnight and the morning was misty. But there were flowers everywhere and the feel of Summer which has come early. At the shallow end of the lake reeds were still standing from last year:

There was also some new green shoots of this year's reeds breaking the water surface, though they can't be seen in the picture. Further out in the centre of the lake  the big globes of yellow water lilies were opening:

In my flower identification book it says they should flower in June or July so that is an indication of just how early things are coming on. Over in the boggy ground at the other end of the lake, beneath the willows, I found some bog bean in flower, fluffy pink-white stars and three big leaves to each one.

As I sat eating my lunch I watched a heron fly over the lake, do a loop around once, then fly away over the ridge of the hills behind me. I also heard the call of another bird coming from the other side of the reeds, but couldn't identify it.

By the afternoon the warmer weather was returning and I took notes on what trees were in leaf. Oaks were out, and sycamore and beech, and on the hawthorns the flowers were about to open - May blossom in April!  But the ash trees were still bare. According to the traditional rhyme that means we are in for a splash rather than  a soak. But whatever the Summer brings I will be joyful.