Adaptable

This morning the car went into the garage to have the intermittent fault diagnosed. The incessant rain and absence of a car kept me in the house for most of the day. But I was still able to appreciate nature through the window. We have a regular flock of Feral Pigeons visiting the garden. Many people don't like these, but they are the ultimate urban survivors - intelligent and adaptable. They're able to recognise and remember individual humans that regularly feed them, and can easily adapt to living in man-made structures. Our local increase was largely fuelled by widespread installation of solar panels along the street, which provide ideal shelter for nesting and raising a family of chicks.

I finally received a phonecall from the garage about 5.30 p.m. The timing belt needs replacing, which requires much of the engine to be dismantled and will take 2-3 weeks with current staffing levels (bad), but it shouldn't have needed replacing for at least another 45,000 miles so Citroen are covering the cost (good) and are also letting me have a courtesy car from the 16th June until the end of the month (very good!). So I just have to hire a car for the weekend to enable me to complete another hay-meadow survey in Oxford. I'm just glad that it's going to be sorted out and that I got it into the garage before the whole engine was destroyed!