As I was taking my usual break, I decided to venture out into the vast greyness that August seems to be offering us and took a route through the main park, past the cemetery and found myself by the pond, astonished at the hubbub that was occurring.

It wasn’t the teenagers playing football that caught my attention; it wasn’t a group of buggy clad mothers, trundling along one of the paths, distracted by their mobile phones. It was the pond itself and the squawking thereof. Have you ever sat and looked at what goes on there? If you think West Quay on a Saturday afternoon is busy, try sitting by the pond when some bread comes walking in. After about 20 minutes, three families and a dog, I was able to construct a kind of “pecking order” (excuse the pun) and this is how I see it: Swans (and signets), Grandmothers, Mums, Ducks (mature and fluffy ones), Dads, seagulls, dogs, moorhens, coots, rats, flying bugs of various orders. That’s not to mention the various species of waterfowl that tend to brighten our shores from time to time.

So if you have a moment to spare from your sun tan, or could take a diversion from your walk to the pub, take a look. Figure out where you fit in.