Sun, sun, sun!

Amazing! My bird group day AND sunshine! That hasn't happened for a while.

I had a rather bad photography day, though we saw quite a lot - the leaves are coming on the trees making it trickier to spot the birds with the naked eye, then the binoculars and then the camera - by the time you've finished faffing with the settings the whatever-it-was has long gone!

I toyed with posting coot chicks, nature's ugliest babies! - but thought this swan was pretty dramatic! He's the proud father of about 6 cygnets and is very protective! If only I'd seen him coming I'd have pulled the lens in a bit!

I was a bit concerned about leaving mum - as after I'd left home to go to the class, the Age UK cleaner/carer texted to say she was sick and wouldn't be coming. But I rang mum and explained, and made her wipe off 'Sara will be here later' from the whiteboard, so she didn't get worried .. and crossed my fingers.

She was absolutely fine when I got home - phew!

When I first moved here I NEVER went out - and it was mum's CPN who talked through calculated risks and the need to take them!