November 2019

November felt like a lost month. We can back from Vienna, and I was thrown head first into Christmas prep. Christmas stock to the left, the right, in front, behind, and even above me. Like every year, the staffing got worse, but more needed to be done, and as a supervisor, it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul. The store I was working in was 3/4 times larger than the one I was in previously, and the additional volume of stock was overwhelming at times. It meant that other than working, I did very little, save for a lovely day on the beach and feeding some feathered friends on what felt like my only day off in November!

This was at Sophie's Pond, near Weston Shore. A favoured place of mine, I used to come here as a child with my Mum or with my grandparents to feed the birds, and here I am as an adult doing the same thing. They are always grateful for a free lunch! Just remember, only feed them things they should actually have! We normally give them bird seed, but they also like peas and other vegetables. If you're unsure, just have a quick look at the Canal & River trust, with this handy simple guide "What do ducks eat?"

These ones were brave coming up to my boots, but this one was even braver by eating out of James's hand!

It was a beautifully cold and moody day, and was so misty, only the little lights in the distance were all you could see of Southampton. It was so peaceful too, once we had moved away from the pond and onto the beach, all you could hear was the tiny waves rippling on the beach. Just us, and it was glorious.

We did a bit more feeding a couple of days later, we headed up to the Whitchurch silk mill. In the stream outside the mill, there has to be the most friendliest and approachable ducks I have ever seen. James got multiple ducks to eat out of his hand, as well as out of the container as well! Are these ducks never fed?

Ducks in the water action shot!

We also made sure to feed ourselves too, there's a nice little café at the silk mill, with a good range of cakes and snacks. The chocolate cake is very nice! And well deserved, considering just how much I was doing at work. But still, not long until Christmas is over!