What is it about Waltham?

It's a small place, with a narrow high street and a church which is rather like a miniature Winchester Cathedral, with a beautiful stained glass window...but it's got no less than EIGHT hairdressers/barbers shops! As I wandered round I couldn't believe that I'd come across yet another salon. But the residents seem rather tonsorially challenged - with such a choice you'd expect to see some lovely beehives, bobs, razor cuts, fashionable fringes, Victoria Beckham crops (yes it IS in Essex!), bouffant creations, perms, extensions (YES - it IS ESSEX!!). But no, it was all rather dreary - track suit bottoms, tight tops, high heels and the horrible whine of Estuary English (honest, I'm not making it up!)

And there were TWO nail salons - most small towns could only support one of these. Perhaps the ladies all have acrylic nail extensions, pedicures and manicures done instead of getting their hair done. Well, it IS Essex, luv!

There's a lot of water here. Not just in the canal, but there are rivers and lakes - alongside the canal (or Lee Navigation as it is properly called) there is the huge Lee Valley Park with walking and cycling tracks which is very well used by the locals. There are also a lot of fishermen (and the first fisherwomen I'd seen) sitting morosely on the river bank. They never seem to catch anything (I reckon the fish know that they are there and just hide in the reeds on the other side.) At least the water is crystal clear here - you can actually see the fish - and there are hundreds of tiddlers - but nothing you could have for dinner. We even saw a water snake last night.

There is a huge flock or Canada Geese as well as swans, ducks, coots and moorhens. They are quite funny - they make a lot of noise as if they are shouting at one another ("Oi Doris, check out this one, 'e's got some bread!" and then something sets them off and they take off from the water, wings flapping madly, legs manically waggling in the water to give them extra thrust. They fly around for a bit squawking then land on the water again in a flurry of splashing and honking. As they swim past the moored boats you can see their beady eyes looking in at the kitchen window in the hope that some bread will be thrown. If you do give them some then the whole flock comes over - about 50 of them, jostling, pecking, hissing at one another. The swans seem to be the top of the hierarchy, but the coots although smaller seem to be completely unafraid of the geese and will give them a sharp peck if they are in the way. The little moorhens don't get much of a look-in when the gang's there.

I must get a book of British Birds so I can identify the different types of birds. Aaah, what fun the rural life is!!