Oh When the Saints .........

Much celebration in Madrid last night, following Real's winning of La Liga.

We spent this morning in the Royal Botanic Gardens, which are fabulous. Lots of photos - the extra is a drake mallard giving me the eye.

Then lunch at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, one of the world's premier private art collections. Quite fabulous in a different way, and we never got around to the 2nd floor before it closed at 4pm. Another time.

Coming out it was hot, so we decided to walk to the Parque del Buen Retiro, for some shade. We heard music through the trees so headed that way and came across a band playing "When all the Saints Come Marching In" New Orleans jazz style. It was good. I emptied my pocket of small change and took the blip. Appropriate I think for the running dialogue theme set by Ski Me.

Heading out of the Park we noticed a bird singing on a sculptured head (the second extra). The reason the lady is scowling is that the bird is nesting in the back of her head - quite a headache. Closer inspection revealed a new bird for our holiday list - this is not a starling (sturnus vulgaris), but a spotless starling (sturnus unucolor).