Canterbury, 1.5.06: A-Maying and Moorhens on the Stour

Shall we go a-Maying with Corinna? If so, a wet a-Maying we shall have. Gray skies and mizzling rain this morning. We had planned to drive to Whitstable for the May Day celebrations.

Well, if one canceled an outing in England because of rain, one would no outings have. And it may be clear in an hour (only to rain again).

Fine evening walk yesterday along the Stour, where we saw a man and his son fishing for brown trout, which we could see in the stream. We watched to moorhens feed their chicks? Goslings? Ducklings? They waded into the stream on their bright yellow unwebbed feet, snapped up things with their scarlet beaks, and then carried the bits to the young.

Jet-lagged. Awoke wide awake at 2, had cocoa and read a bit, then slept to 8:30. Now getting up befuddled, throat sore, the persistent infection in my right ear picking up.

Oh, the walk. We walked into Canterbury from our guesthouse, which is near the University of Kent. It was a cool, sunny afternoon, nice for walking. Visited the usual tourist places, High St., the cathedral gate.

Either because it was a Sunday or the eve of May Day (which is a bank holiday), or both, there were booths and vendors all along High St. But we arrived just as they shut down.

And then to a pub for undistinguished pub grub—leek, chicken, and ham pie. And then back and to bed, exhausted, by 9.