Today I've mostly bin...

[Scurra]

Well she didn't spend the whole weekend dressed like that. Most of the time she was passing herself off as a dumb blonde (and was very funny doing it too!)

[LAT]

.... at work for the first time in about three and a half months. I'm exhausted now!

[chazzie]

Brilliant News

[Bunnylump]

Are you starting to think that maybe you should have remained as a lady of leisure?

[SparkOut]

Hooray

[Biscuit]

congrats

[LAT]

I'm not sure who is more relieved that I'm not at home all the time, me or Nigel!

[Wulfruna]

Well done LAT - nice to know your skills are still in demand

[SparkOut]

(Yesterday) making yet another 150 mile round trip from Fort William to Inverness. Saw a red kite.

[LAT]

Wonderful!

[Bunnylump]

(Yesterday) making yet another 150 mile round trip from Fort William to Inverness.

Why from Inverness? Have you been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights up there recently? My sister in law was kicking herself that she was on her way home from Sockland the last time they made a spectacular appearance!

Saw a red kite.

You can come and see those in my back garden! They did a ridiculously successful reintroduction programme in the Chilterns, which is a good thing as they were on the globally threatened list.
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/about-chil ... kites.html However, it is simply NOT true that they only eat carrion. I have personally witnessed two kites having an aerial battle for possession of a LIVE starling (which was squawking and flapping.) They also have ferocious fights with crows - and I often see groups of crows mobbing red kites, particular during the crow nesting season. I suspect that the kites threaten their young.

All this aside, they are very beautiful birds. We have a pair which routinely swoop low over our garden - close enough to be able to see the markings on the bottom of their wings. They make a "mewing" noise which sounds almost like a buzzard.

[SparkOut]

Cos the hospital is in Inverness.
Last Thursday the Northern Lights were apparently visible. If it hadn't been dark and murky, and we'd bothered staying up, we might have seen a glimpse.
Red kite was about 6 feet away perched at the roadside, then we saw it above the car about 20 feet up, in resplendent and beautiful detail. The recovery of the red kite's population is one of the great successes in wildlife conservation. A magnificent bird.

[Bunnylump]

The hospital? Is everyone OK? Did I miss something?

[Scurra]

...evacuated from the Royal Festival Hall!

Obviously we had no idea what was going on, but this is the general practise when anything happens at Westminster (which is across the river but a bit further up), given that the South Bank is a major public space. And it was impressive how the traffic flow was still pretty smooth considering how much of the area must have been shut down very quickly.

[LAT]

We were in the other direction having just crossed Vauxhall bridge when we were nearly mown down by three or four police cars as we crossed to the station. Also saw a police boat on the Thames going faster than I've ever seen one move before. And obviously we had no idea what had happened until we got home again.

Very interesting Hockney exhibition at the Tate. I particularly liked his photo-collages.

[Bunnylump]

Makes my visit to Ikea seem pretty tame...

[SparkOut]

Ready to swear and burst into tears at the same time.

[LAT]

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. Are you OK?

[SparkOut]

Safe, yes. Otherwise, no.

[Bunnylump]

Ready to swear and burst into tears at the same time.

Well, whatever has prompted that, sending big virtual hugs. x