At the end of the day

Fishing

That's it for another river season.
I'm sorry to say, and it all my own fault, that my trips to the river totaled three excursions. The Wye,the Dane and the Upper Witham.
The mojo is just not there, the thought of an hour drive to my nearest fishable river is just not giving me the spur on I most certainly need.. 
Roll on our last house move, which is no closer to actually occurring than it was last September. 
It will be closer to a river though..... when it does come off.
I did get out down into the valley on tuesday evening of last week for two hours, with just some cockles, hempseed and plastics. One carp to show for it at about 6lb.

Mother Nature

All around the garden the birds are showing their instinct for mating with the blackbird, song thrush, robin, chaffinch,wren, woodie and collared dove all sparing for territory in their different ways. Still loads of sparra, but they seem to get on as group.
For the first time however, I was witness to the literally dying minutes of a tussle between two female blackbird.
I looked out of the front room window onto the garden, wondering whether to keep up with the neighbours, who've been cutting grass all winter, when I noticed a female blackbird  under the laurel hedge having a furious peck at what seemed to be another bird. 
At first glance I thought it may have been eating carrion.

As it turned out the bottom bird was still alive, but not giving a good fight of it. 
I took a couple of shots through the window glass, hoping that the one underneath would fly off, it didn't and the other kept up the attack.
After the top bird was frightened off, the other still managed a weak flutter for a minute or two and then stillness. 

She was now dead, so a fight to the death!

Talking of territory, a pair of house sparrow have claimed our nest box and beaten the great tit pair to it....so far.

The International Drinking Society

On our return from Plockton after Easter, I've arranged my birthday do with the old boys from IDS. We're meeting up at The Gun on the side of the Thames and Canary Wharf. 
An old pub site from the early 1700's.

Got a new motor