Shipley Hill

Following the rather dismal weather forecast, we were not expecting to get much of a walk this morning - if any walk at all.  But as usual, the forecast proved to be rather less than accurate, so we set out in the glorious sunshine for a longer walk up Shipley Hill, round the top and down to Osborne's Pond before returning around Shipley Lake.  The most obvious thing this morning was the birdsong filling the air around the hill.  It seemed that every bird for miles around was singing it's heart out.  An absolute joy to hear.
Another joy, were the Horse Chestnut trees starting to flower.

I'm always delighted to see these gorgeous flowers close up.  Their white petals, some flushed with yellow and others flushed pink are often lost to us, being too high up in the tree to appreciate, but not these.

Taking a lower view, the ditches are all full of water now and the wet ground is ideal  for a rather colourful member of the cabbage family (another one - such a large family).  This bright yellow-flowered plant has glossy, dark green leaves and makes quite a show.  Called Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) for some reason, it is at it's best at this time of year.