Leucistic mallard duck

From yesterday's brilliantly clear and sunny day, it was a bit of a comedown  this morning with too much cloud to observe the sunrise when I was out on another morning run. Not far; not fast; not without pauses for photos. I decided that the first one I took was the best to add to extras to record that I ran.

After breakfast was the second morning of 15 minute talks at the class reunion. My talk was 4th of 5 in the pre morning tea session. A mild case of nerves, as presenting to people I have known for a long time, is quite different to the usual "scientific meetings", which don't bother me. As it turned out, there was not even the mildest hiccup with the slides, and there was only once when I couldn't pronounce a word properly; easily corrected.

Afterwards, I had the positive reinforcement of many of my old classmates and/or their partners wanting to tell me how much they had liked my talk. I called my presentation "Finding the Light" to cover finding my career pathway; having an interest in photography in the old darkroom days; all the personal changes and challenges; and then discovering Blipfoto. 

I think that what worked best about my talk was that I was able to present a short and highly selected memoir (are not all memoirs the image we want others to see?), using my photos to illustrate different stages. And to also illustrate the truth, partial truth, and untruth contained in all memoir, be it written or visual.

On reflection, it seems that I left so many openings and invitations, that my audience felt included and involved and inserted their own answers to some of the questions I raised.

A relaxing afternoon, which incorporated a short walk by the lakeside into the town centre to buy a new shirt for tonight's dinner. On the way I spotted this leucistic duck, and there was also a leucistic drake in the pack of mallards. 

For those who don't know what leucistic means (and I have only known for a short time), it is a condition where melanin is not produced by some cells resulting in white patches. This may be patches of white feathers, or a patch of white affecting an area but not all of each feather involved. It is not albinism, as that is either/or. This is partial loss of melanin production. I have seen more of this since knowing about it. Perhaps the same phenomenon as how many Citroen L15s I saw when I bought one as my first car.

Then a lie down with a Norwegian murder mystery until time to dress up and go to dinner with the gathering.