Nothing to beat a garden full of wildfowl and historical memories

My favourite spot in London is the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. I like to sit there, preferably early in the morning, and watch the waterfowl. They are of three kinds. The swans are rulers of the pond, as they must be. I once counted no fewer than 90 of them on the water, but the last time I held a census there were only 22. Swans flying over London, as they constantly do, can see the pond from many miles away, and know it to be a friendly water with plenty of donated food, so they decide to alight there for a spell. They do no harm and are not aggressive — and they are beautiful. No creature ever made by God so consistently conforms to its visual ideal. Their beauty soothes and nourishes. But they lack warmth. Whoever made friends with a swan?

The geese arouse mixed feelings. The black-beaked invaders from Canada are numerous, greedy and dirty.