You know Hans Christian Andersen’s story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, right? The unlovely little bird, who is bullied and abused by his farmyard companions because he doesn’t look like the other ducklings, grows up to become not just another duck but, instead, a very beautiful swan. It was one of my favourite stories as a child, perhaps because I was bullied at a young age for wearing spectacles – not common when I was a kid – and I hoped, in vain, for a similar transformation.

Ever since, I have had a special love of swans, and it has been wonderful as the summer has progressed to watch the little Mute Swan cygnets at Roath Park lake grow into their beauty. Here are just a few of the very many photos in my swan album.