Petworth Park.. in sunshine..

I had commitments this morning, but at lunchtime I was free and hungry.  The sun was shining and it was, relatively, warm.. so I headed off to Petworth Park

This is one of the best National Trust properties (to my local knowledge) for daffodils.. they were well in bloom and very cheery!

The Coffee Shop was closed so I headed down to the restaurant to have a scone and a cuppa.. not a free table to be seen.. so I opted for a sandwich which I could eat outside..

Ben Bear approved of the Watercress & Honey Pork Sausage sandwich.. and so did I .. very tasty.

My lunchtime view..

and so off for a wander as this iron bird flew above

Down by the lake, significant areas of tree felling round the lake edges..

On enquiring why this was being done...

Algae is  problem for the lake and is mainly caused by the leaves falling from the trees into the water. The lake is man-made so water doesn't circulte...

 So the perimeter trees are coming down...

the wood and branches from the trees are being put into steel cages which, in turn, are being placed into the lake.  The wood in the cage will provide a home for the Water Fleas which live off ... Algae... seems a sensible idea to me..

and the trunk of one of the trees makes a handy bench for a small bear, duck and lion to sit on..

Wood Anemones..

and Ben was introduced to Mr Mole

 I noticed a small wellington boot in the tree (about the centre of this picture)

I hope the young occupant was not in the boot when it arrived in the tree!!

Daffodils and warm sunshine..

Lovely to have a stroll.. however short.. weather forecast suggests tomorrow will not be as pleasant.