Well I started the day with a yellow flower and I’m going to close the day with one too.

This is a kind of water lily and although as a lily it is not as spectacular as some of the cultivated types I think it’s rather lovely in its simplicity.

G'night all

Everyone needs some green space in their lives and for city/town dwellers it’s not always easy to find.

Sometimes an inner city park is the only space available; occasionally not even that.

In this part of the world we’re lucky. We have parks, municipal playing fields, tree-lined streets and running from the country right into the city centre we have a haven for wildlife in the shape of a canal.

If you live in or around Newport and are mobile, there’s very little excuse for not appreciating some green space.

I went for a short walk along the canal tow-path at lunchtime and was amused by a bunch of ducks that appeared to playing 'tag' among the lily pads.

As I stood there watching I got to thinking back to my childhood all those many years ago. Back then you’d see moorhens and coots on the canal and lots and lots of water voles; you may occasionally see the odd duck. Today there dozens of ducks on view, but only the odd moorhen. There wasn’t a single coot to be seen and no sign of any water voles at all either.

So what does this all mean? Has the wildlife that lives in this habitat changed considerably in the last 40 years, or are my childhood memories completely false? I don’t think it’s a case of the latter...

It's a bright, sunny Monday morning here in my corner of the world; I hope your Monday is equally bright.

In case it's not, here's a little something to help brighten your day:

Happy Monday, people
Hope you all have a lovely day!