The day the sun came out

... and I tried out my new lens on the birds that were feeding on the cottoneaster.

Gary came and managed to mend the rear windscreen heater and washer on my car, while I dismantled the Christmas tree and put the it out (there's definitely a lack of lights in the house tonight). I even hoovered and dusted, well hoovered more than dusted! Then around lunchtime, as a reward, I caught up with Blip and commented on a few of my favourite sites.

In the afternoon the cloud came back. To start with the sky was deep purple blue with low sunlight, the kind that brings the best out in landscape photos, though by the time I went to the Post Office it was raining again.

No art work done but I did manage to create some cards with copies of my drawings. It feels like an achieving kind of day.

Re the bird photos - I thought about blipping the Redwing as it's the first reasonable photograph I've ever taken of this bird. In the end I spent quite I long time trying to capture a shot of a blackbird with a berry in its beak so I've chosen this image. I realise that if I'm ever to get serious about photographing birds I can't fit it in between cleaning the house! I know which one I'll choose though.