It wasn't too early and yet unusually I had the place to myself. Intending to make a few marks on paper, there was a sketchbook tucked under arm and a 2B pencil, so it was an unexpected pleasure to be able to sit in the warming morning alone. (Well, there was Tilly, the Springer Spaniel, but she is a given).
The water has many fish including carp which spent much of the time jumping up to catch flies and pond skaters, noisily slapping back down into their watery home. The lake holds water with the naturally-occurring Oxford clay which has been compacted to create a huge bowl to hold rain water. Being bottom feeders, carp have worried away at the clay, releasing tiny particles and making the lake this odd pea soup green. The addition of the pastel was an after-thought and probably not a good one, but hey, that;s what sketchbooks are for ; experimenting and trying out new ideas.
There;s a very short video just to share the sights and sounds of this first day of August.