Tough Week

This has been a very tough week (hence the shortage of postings). I've not felt like doing much at all so it's been a week of dragging myself to therapy, arguing with my analyst, (who seems to have misunderstood everything I've said, probably a reflection of the confusion within me), and coming home and arguing with myself about what to eat, whether to eat, whether to escape into sleep, or whether to sit her pretending to be creative but playing "free cell" instead. The latter was usually the winner.

I did manage to get myself out for a walk while my home help was here cleaning on Tuesday. She comes once a week to do the cleaning tasks, (hoovering etc.) that I am "advised" not to undertake in the interest of forestalling the wheelchair.

I drove to one of my local hangouts, Bedfont Lakes Country Park, where, because my membership to the private nature reserve has lapsed, I walked the public areas. This was my first walk of any consequence since the fall so I took my walking stick rather than my dual purpose monopod and was glad I did as I needed to bear down on the handle in order to negotiate the uneven ground off the gravel footpath in the public reserve.

I was soon rewarded when this stoat ran across the mowed grass footpath about 20 feet in front of me:

this is the first stoat I have seen in the wild and I was surprised at how small it was, I hope you can get some idea by comparing it with the daisies on the left of the picture. As it stopped running at the edge of the undergrowth I stopped walking and held my breath as I gripped my walking stick between my knees and raised my camera.

As you can see it turned and looked straight at me, expecting it to run straight off I took this a bit quickly but I shouldn't have worried, he/she then looked back to where it had come from and I got another six shots, similar to the first one, before it vanished into the undergrowth after about 30 seconds.

Now, I would have settled for that but with the thrill of the stoat giving my mind respite from the physical pain in my ankle and back I decided to walk a bit further to one of the public bird hides. AS I reached the hide I was aware of a great deal of noise above me and looked up to see a Black Headed Gull harassing a Common Tern. I love catching the wonder of flight with my camera and as I already have several pics of Black Headed Gulls I focused on the Tern. This was the result.

This was one of several Terns being chased by the Gull while returning to the floating breeding platforms where Chicks were waiting to be fed. I spent about 20 minutes watching and photographing the activity on and above the breeding platform before, body and soul refreshed, I returned to my car in time to beat the "school run" traffic home.

Luv Brian.