Kingfisher

I walk towards Thwaite Mills, passing the City of Leeds cadets centre. The upturned hull of a boat near the entrance is a decorative planter. A blackbird picks through the grassy area near the path, I get close enough to see its golden beak. The white blades of the wind turbines near Garforth, are just visible in the distace. Starlings flying in formation head south. A weeping willow droops by the bank of the Knostrop lock. I see a leaf with lace-like holes made by insects.

Four cormorants rest on top a pylon, beside a crowd of noisy seagulls. The kingfisher flies right in front of me and across the river, resting by the frontage of a generic box-like office building. Seeing the kingfisher gladens my heart and makes my morning. I’m enthralled by the beauty of the kingfisher’s plumage.