Stork

After a more than decent - one might say an excellent - extended lunch in Brasserie d'Abdij in Drongen, an address that I have been cherishing for years, we decided to take the classic walk along the Lys river from Drongen to the three Lys branches near Afsnee.

The weather was nice : we had some sun, the first greens of the year were a joy to behold and waterfowl abounded ; ducks, geese, moorhens, coots and the unavoidable, beautiful but catastrophic Canadian geese. Some meadows were in full bloom. It was beautiful.

Traffic on the river was slow ; in summer it can be a real procession of pleasure boats, both ways, upriver and downriver. There were not too many walkers but a significant number of bikers and joggers.

While we were having a coffee on a river terrace - the only one between Drongen and Afsnee - we got caught in a longish and severe shower. The small pub immediately filled up with wet to very wet people. And jokes started cracking - it was an enjoyable moment.

Walking back to the car, we saw a lonely stork in the Lys meadows. In as far as I can remember this is the very first time I've seen a stork there. Herons, yes, they are back big time.

And ... the Lys doesn't stink any more, fishermen catch fish again, and even the grebes are back.

So all is not bad in this valley of tears.