Limes

We've been going mad over the last few days as the almost constant drizzle and chilly temperatures, have contrasted dramatically with the weather only a week earlier. But, things had improved a little this morning, so we set out for a walk around Shipley Hill, glad to be out and about once more.
On the Northern side of the hill, the road which was once the carriage drive up to Shipley Hall from Mapperley Village, is lined with Lime Trees.

These lovely trees are all in full flower right now and their scent enveloped us as we walked past them, down the hill.

Accompanying the scent, was the sound of thousands of bees, all busy collecting nectar and pollen from the millions of tiny Lime flowers.

From here and through the Limes, we looked out across the countryside which was, until recently, opencast mines.

At the bottom of the hill, we came to Mapperley Reservoir. Here, we stopped to watch a family of Great-crested Grebes. The youngsters, ever hungry and demanding food, still have their distinctive , striped heads, making them look like animated humbugs.

Close by, a Mandarin duck was picking at insects on the water's surface. I though at first, that this was a female bird, but on closer inspection, it turns out to be a male bird in eclipse plumage and therefore not displaying its more usual gaudy colours.