Wet and windy

Today’s flower is a cotoneaster snapped last weekend. I may have used it before but I am so fuddled that I can’t remember.

I had to go and give a drop or two of blood this morning to check on the dreaded cholesterol.  My bad cholesterol has not been bad but my good cholesterol has been far too low. This is very unfair since it is supposed to be encouraged by exercise of which I take a reasonable amount. Anyway I have been put on statins and today’s test was to check whether the pills have been working. Of course there is no way of knowing if I could stop taking them if the results are good because drug companies never do any research into the effects of stopping taking their products unless they know it means bad news for you. If the results are good, I am tempted to stop taking the tablets and get another test to see what happens…..but I probably won’t.

As you can see, the waxwings were back again today. They are most handsome birds. I think they like the walnut tree because it must be one of the few tall trees in our part of New Langholm in among the gardens. They fly off in small groups, presumably to pick a berry or two, and then they return and pose for a bit. Then suddenly and without warning, they all go off at once.

The waxwings have made us famous and we got a mention in the local paper on their account this morning. I have sent the paper the picture above and wait to see if they publish it next week.

We didn’t cycle today because of the blood test and the generally foul windy, wet weather but Mrs Tootlepedal bravely went for a good four mile walk in the lashing rain and gales in the afternoon.

Mrs Tootlepedal went out again at 7pm to be part of a brains trust at the Ewes WRI but I didn’t leave the house at all today until I went to the Archive Centre in the evening with Sandy. A new  pair of indexers have just started and I am faced with five weeks of the paper to put into the database this week. I got one put in at the Centre tonight but I will have keep up to the mark in the week ahead to stop getting overwhelmed. We then went as usual to the Douglas for a pint of beer research and I have to report that it was excellent tonight.