Let’s Talk About Coby

This adventure story is about Coby, a mute swan who has earned himself a reputation on the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, England. His story has become legendary across the land, even attracting the attention of Her Majesty the Queen. We learn about an ancient English tradition known as Swan Upping, a growing awareness of and respect for nature, and the joy of relationships between animals and people of all ages.

Whilst this story is fictional with some elements of truth, Coby is a real swan, and still swimming on the River Thames with a new brood of chicks.

Hurley is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, and any resemblance to real-life characters is purely coincidental.
Swan Upping is the annual census of swans on the river Thames, a 79-mile journey between Sunbury Lock in West London and Abingdon in Oxfordshire to track swan populations and the health of the Thames.
The Queen's Swan Warden is responsible for recording this information. While there are many colorful celebrations during Swan Upping, it is an important conservation event. The Dyers and Vintners City companies use rings to mark their birds, while the Crown's swans are unmarked.

A message from Josephine Grieg: "Many of us say we have a book in us, thinking we can sit down and miraculously, the completed item will emerge on a golden cloud of inspiration. I used to think that too, and marvel at how naive I was. I am optimistically impulsive, and my best and worst habit is to start a project with great enthusiasm and then give up when the going gets tough.
When I retired, I set a personal goal to write a story from beginning to end as a challenge to break this pattern. The cold rainy winter days combined with the Covid shutdowns in East Sussex, England, where I live, helped me sit at my desk. My numerous exasperated arm stretches kept them relatively toned, and I wanted to give up more times than I wanted to continue. Still, I stuck with it and worked hard at producing the best quality writing I could manage for your enjoyment. To all you dreamers out there, if I could do it, so can you."

To all you dreamers out there, if I could do it, so can you. Soledad is a gifted artist who brought the characters in this adventure story to life with her beautiful illustrations.