The kittens have been busy growing.

Meanwhile… I’ve been trekking in the foothills of the High Atlas mountains.

Bath time for Mrs Newbie. Returned from a week away to just 4 cygnets although from now on this lot should be big enough to make it. 🤞🏻

Life is full of 🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢🦢 and 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ and 🚣 and 🔨 💍 but I’ll update from time to time. Here’s a bit of Monty & Cecil for you. They offer hours of amusement.

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Cheers. One from the other day.

I do generally update more on insta stories these days as actually I don’t find 🦋 as interactive as twitter was, so spend less time here.

Currently five cygnets. This is tough but this is nature.

Pretty scene from yesterday.

This is from a couple of days ago. Unfortunately we are down to 7 cygnets now. This is just nature. There are lots of things that can predate them when they are so small.

It was all going so well until two seconds later when the kitten decided Bertie’s tail looked fun to play with. They all jumped two foot in the air and scattered in all directions.

Bert 🐈‍⬛ is like the awkward kid in the playground that wants to join in the game but not sure how. This is an improvement from just running away if the kittens looked at him.

One of two new additions. Monty a rescue from local rescue ARC. #adoptdontshop

When my friend was at my house yesterday... (I’m most definitely not a curator of swans 😂)

🦢❤️🦢

All eight still thriving. That little pickle on the ramp eventually worked out it was better to walk to the top and go across the flat bit.

2025 cygnets 2nd May 7/8 hatched 3rd May No 8 hatched

Clever little fluffers always work out how to use the ramp. This ramp has been used successfully for a few years now.

If you see any video, and don’t count 8 cygnets, please check back in older posts before commenting that that you ‘can only see… cygnets’. I’ll be sure to tell you if we lose any. At this stage they are very vulnerable to all sorts of predators including very large fish, magpies, crows, foxes etc

All eight hatched. One 24 hours after the others so it’s only a day old, and busy trying to keep up with its older siblings. And yes it does catch up to them in the water.

She has sat ceaselessly for the incubating period. No help from the Mr. She must be so hot and thirsty. A really quick in and out dip for her. The babies normally go on the water in the first 24 hours. In my experience dawn tomorrow for the first dip.

As of 1pm, 6/8 hatched.

It’s hatching day! I’ve only had a couple of glimpses so don’t know if all 8 have hatched yet.

What’s his problem? (Sound up.) *Either Bert was looking at him or he was cross I moved the bird feed that he’d knocked to the ground or both.

A good view of Mrs Newbie turning her eggs.

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Just checked back and think Mrs Newbie has been incubating for 28 or 29 days. Typical incubation is 35-41 days. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

Scenes from the nest just now. Won’t be too many days until they hatch now.

These green Prehnites always remind me of Spring.

Bertie 🐈‍⬛ has my heart.

Mr Newbie 🦢 ‘She hasn’t let me in this end of the garden for weeks.’

Mr Newbie 🦢 ‘Hrrrmmmppphhhh. I don’t think much of this swan barrier.’

Mrs Newbie turning her eggs. These will hatch early May.

#spyswan is back. I had given them their own end of the garden with the swan barrier up, but he circumnavigated it today. (Mr Newbie. He’s a wild, wild swan and he’s a good nest protector which will make for an interesting year!

I visited some friends in Northern France. This woodland is next to their house and is full of wild garlic or Bear’s garlic as they call it.

The park looking lovely on my way home last night.

The wisteria is at its best.

Mrs Newbie 🦢 still busy incubating.

Lovely Bushy Park. 🦌

Cycling home past the Fallow deer. 🦌

The wisteria smells wonderful.

Mrs Newbie turning her eggs.

Rustic grey sapphire hand made rings.

A 450-yo oak is felled without permission by a Toby Carvery (don’t eat there), who falsely claimed it was "dead". A tree alive when The Gunpowder Plot was hatched, which supports a web of 2000+ species, is in pieces. Legal protection for heritage trees needed. enfielddispatch.co.uk/toby-carvery...

Just because you haven’t seen Bert here for a while…

Sent this to the crew I was supposed to be rowing with this morning to show them that perhaps we shouldn’t brave the river today.

Bit windy out. 💨 🦢 (As a rule you shouldn’t approach a swan’s nest as it could cause stress. Mrs Newbie 🦢 hatched here & is not concerned by me being near as you can see.)

Spot Mr Newbie in flight. He’s frequently found about this height seeing off a goose! Makes for quite comedic viewing from the sofa, seeing him hot on the tail of a Canada goose, nearly close enough to bite its tail feathers. Fast & furious, and hard to catch on camera.

Sunset in Bushy Park.

View from Hampton Court bridge.