Head in the sand

You would have thought that a curlew with its long curved bill wouldn't need to get stuck in like this. This one is probing for lug worms deep in their burrows. I have wondered before if I see the same bird every day at this spot at Sandside, there is always just the one bird, are they creatures of habit?

What a drab day weatherwise. It didn't rain much, but then it never really got light. I went for a walk along the Kent at lunchtime, but if I had been lucky enough to see an otter, the light was so feeble that any photos would have been pretty dire.

I'm late posting this evening, as I finally ran out of excuses not to go to the Kendal Climbing Wall after work. I was even more puny than usual for a first visit of the winter. After attempting and failing to climb a route on the tall new wall, my forearms were so swollen they looked like Popeye's biceps - only without the strength. The climbers' term is 'pumped', full of lactic acid. When you get to that stage, you may as well give up for the evening, as you are good for nothing. Depressingly, Simon and Matt were going strongly until we left. But then they are not suffering from old age and decrepitude.