Sunday 4 August 2024 - Didsbury Beach

I've not reported on Saturday's parkrun, or today's Community Run - both of them enjoyable and sociable, but no pictures were taken. What a contrast with the Sizzler - in the parkrun my slower time of 30:34 saw me in position 191/310.

Anyway, this afternoon Sue and I popped over to Didsbury for a family outing with Isabella and her mum and dad. She fancied going to the beach, and enjoyed every minute of the outing.

This was good practice for going to Scarborough in a few weeks' time.

It's great to have a beach (even if the sand seems to come and go) a few minutes walk from home, near the centre of a major city. Kingfishers patrol this stretch of the River Mersey, though we didn't notice any today..

What we did notice, frolicking on the opposite bank and in the water the other side of the river, were three juvenile river otters. Well I never! Later: no!!! we now realise that these were adult mink, not otters.

Beyond the beach, the Mersey heads off towards Manchester. The otters' playground is on the left bank in the next picture, beside rather inaccessible woodland. The otters move quickly and are well camouflaged; my attempts to photograph them all failed.

What a lovely afternoon.

There will now be a short interlude (holiday) from postings. Enjoy your holidays.