Pica Picker

A frustrating morning. I took MrQ to the village and when we got back there was a message from the surgery to call. He was due there late morning as he is taking part in an atrial fibrillation study. I phoned back thinking that maybe his appointment might be cancelled or rescheduled and was kept on hold for about half an hour. The call was just to offer him a 'flu jab. It's very difficult to get an appointment to see a doctor and to get through on the phone. I can't see that the surgery has the capacity to be running studies. 

Ollie dog and I went to two big pet stores in town and then to Parndon. She hasn't been to the ford for a while and loved it. We met a young man and woman and their two children in Cat Lane. The woman was sitting in a gateway and the children were playing with loads of toys that were strewn around. "We live in a flat and this our garden" she said. I presume they were from one of the many flats that have been converted, controversially without the need for planning permission, from office blocks in the town. These commercial areas are completely unsuitable for young families to live in. I commend these parents for walking to somewhere nice for their children to play.

My image is of magpies pecking insects from a longhorn, a bit like oxpickers do in Africa. These cattle are wonderfully docile and the magpies don't worry them at all.