Lost soul

Spare a thought on this day of all days for a lost soul, this Greylag goose with nothing other than Canada geese for company. Somehow he seems to have become out of goose-step with the rest. I saw him on Goldsworth Park lake, Woking, today when I was looking to see how the Great Crested Grebes (blipped two days ago) were getting on.

No sign of them at first and, sure enough, the coots that had been hanging around their nest were demanding squatters' rights. Just as I was looking over the lake there was a commotion and the grebes came flying in from either side, then began a brief courtship display. They obviously knew what day it was. I just got off one shot of them before they in turn shot off, in search of a new des res no doubt.

It was grey around the lake with a watery sun and my heart wasn't in the blipping today, possibly because my own soul mate was working (which meant there was no-one to hold the dogs). It's impossible to take photographs with a couple of dogs yanking at an arm.

There were kids on swings but I don't go near kids on swings with my camera, such is the world we live in today. So I was left with some snowdrops, not yet opened, or the lonely goose and the goose won the sympathy vote.

It's been a big writing day today - 3,000 words in the bag - so blipping has to take second place for a while. Besides, I'm running out of birds, dogs, scenes and general photographic inspiration. But I'm damned if I'm going to blip a chocolate heart. Don't have one anyway, just a piece of flint.