if you go down the canal today

...you'd better protect your eyes.

Bloody seagulls. I was wandering innocently through the Edinburgh Quay area silently bemoaning the loss of the Beanscene and peering over the fence to the big empty construction site to the south-east when I noticed that one of the seagulls' scrarks seemed to be somewhat louder than the rest. As I wandered back over to the canal it became obvious that one particular bird was deliberately and maliciously buzzing me (or flapping me), getting to within a foot of my head. It took a couple of passes for me to notice and I watched it for a couple more before thinking that I might get a picture of it on the approach; unfortunately I wasn't wearing a particularly quickly-focussing lens and after a couple more flies-by (close enough to feel the whoosh) it suddenly buggered off towards Tollcross. I can only assume my greying head and pasty skin somehow gave me the appearance of a rival seagull unless I was somehow threatening its eggs. I shall endeavour to return tomorrow with more equipment and protective spectacles in case it attempts to beak me in the face.

Maybe a net too.

As first days back go today was quite acceptable. Only three requests for things were sitting in my inbox and a couple of meetings in the afternoon made the transition from returning-from-lunch to buggering-off-again nice and painless.