Heron sunset

Sandside, Cumbria

Best viewed through the magnifying glass (VIEW LARGE, MR WEBB)

I went for a walk on Scout Scar after work. I added two new bird species for the year, a pair of stonechats and several yellowhammers singing (total 117 species). There was so much haze though that the fells were almost invisible and everything looked a bit flat and uninteresting in the photographs.

On the other hand the sun was dropping into the thickest haze and it was obvious that a good sunset was going to happen over the estuary, so I made a dash for home. As I took this photograph two herons lazily flapped above the water through the reflected sun.

This morning was my visit to the consultant following the MRI scan on Sunday. It was a wasted journey though, as the radiographer's report has not been completed and the surgeon is reserving judgement until he's seen it. A bit frustrating. The Health Service and the staff who work for it are wonderful, but it's a monolithic structure where coordination and communication sometimes fail the patients and practitioners. A small niggle though as I've been served very well over the years.