Travels with my camera

Could it be magic, or that's probably not the right word to use, I can't think what is, but when you think about something, and it happens?

I'm just back from a walk with Emma. Another wonderful day here today, really hot, blue blue skies, smiley face weather for me. I took her down to the river, the place I love the best, which I have posted numerous pictures of before. It was here earlier in the year that I caught a very brief, was it or wasn't it glimpse of a kingfisher, the only time I've ever seen one that I can remember, although possibly when I was a kid in Kent and we used to go fishing a lot. Anyway, Emma was in the water, and I was thinking of the thread on BBF about bogey birds for some reason, and thought, Ive never yet really seen a Kingfisher. I looked up, and there was one, flying down river, no mistaking it this time. It then stopped and perched on the top of a reed for about 10 seconds, and then flew off again further away. This all happened within 10 yards of me! It was of course a thrill to see one, but it was the way it appeared as I thought about it that I can't get over. I've been down that river, being quiet as a mouse, time and time again, and trying to see if I could see one, and nothing. Then out of the blue (literally.....)

On a more serious note, I am a bit worried about Ryan. Well a bit is an understatement really. Quite worried. When I first got him, at first he was in the carry box, before I set the cage up, and I used some old towels to keep him warm. A couple of times, there was some blood on them, but I couldn't be 100% sure that it wasn't a stain that had been there, and suddenly showed up again when the towel was wet with his wee. Then of course there was last week when the nurse did his injection, and he bled from the needle piercing him. Well, this morning I looked in his cage to see if he'd eaten all his food, and there was a lot of blood on the newspaper. Absolutely not there last night, and I cleaned him out yesterday anyway, so it wasn't there for sure, and hadn't come from his injection this time. It was everywhere that was wet, where he had wee'd I think. One place, there was actually like a lumpy clot bit. I picked him up and looked all over, and could see no wounds or anywhere that the blood had come from, although I guess it could be somewhere in his spines, I do hear him scratching an awful lot. I really hope this is the case, and he's not passing it in his wee. He seems fine otherwise, is eating and very lively, so fingers crossed. I'll mention it to the vet again when I go on Tuesday, but quite honestly, it seems that I know more about hogs than they do. If anyone reading this has any suggestions, would be glad to hear them.

Oh yeah, first time I've used my new lappie out in the garden - wow it's great... I can see the screen! They've obviously improved things in the three years since I bought the other one, that was awful, really had to guess what I was looking at and typing, impossible to see with outside daylight on it.

Started doing the polishing on my car earlier. Big mistake. You shouldn't do it in brilliant sunshine, it dries before you can buff it off, consequently, it left horrible smears. I only did the roof, and then stopped. It means I've got to do it again. On which note, I shall depart as it has clouded up and now is the perfect opportunity unfortunately.....