Today’s picture is a blackbird
The picture above shows all too clearly that all the snow has not yet gone. The temperature only managed a miserable 1º at its best today, which wasn’t nearly enough to let me get out on my bike. I am hoping that tomorrow may be possible because after that, the cold is back with a vengeance.
I have found in recent weeks that most of my time seems to be spent wandering round aimlessly say, “I wonder where I have put my lens cap.” This is when I am not trying to find my computer glasses or remember what I am wandering around aimlessly for.
We were visited during the day by a neighbour who waings delivering Christmas cards. She is pictured here wearing a very fetching woolly hat knitted by my Thursday night archiving colleague, Jean.
I spent some time in the morning trying to see what I could make of a blackbird with the new camera. Blackbirds are tricky because they don’t have much contrast as you can see from the picture at the top of this post. The female of the species offers a better chance but I fear I shall have to put in some hard manual reading if I am to get a satisfactory shot. I have put a starling (I think) and an attempted blackbird below.
I can report that Mrs Tootlepedal has inspected the removed worm compost and found it satisfactory. Well done worms, I say.
Mrs Tootlepedal spent the evening at a technical rehearsal for the panto while I put a week of the E&L into the database. I had some phone conversation with my sister Susan about updating her family history website. Mrs Tootlepedal has just received an e-mail from a fairly distant cousin who had come across the site and was wanting to offer further information. This is very gratifying for Susan who has put a power of work into the research.
I may just have been able to find time to watch Strictly which I enjoy now there are no politicians or journalists in it. For once, the best three dancers seem to be in the final.
Here’s an old friend to finish with…
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Best photo yet of your friend the Goldfinch and also a good photograph of your neighbour in her nice knitted hat, whoever she may be.
Nice neighbour, nice hat
Great photos-very clear with new camera. I can tell it is your new toy.
We are recently home from a trip to Kinross which is a very cold place. Son-in-law Pete had to dig out a lay-by in their street from the frozen snow for their visitors’ cars.. The recent snow is deeper there than last January. Suffice to say I am glad they have a warm house. Loch Leven looked to be frozen over. Pete is also a keen photographer and he does post his results on Facebook sometimes.
Birds getting better and better, if that is possible! Alasdair Mackenzie put me onto a new site relating to the Oswald family. There is a painting of a distantly related Mrs Oswald in the National Gallery, painted by Zoffany. I am going there soon to find out which Oswald it is, though I fear she is not a direct ancestor! We have another direct ancestor in a painting in Tate Britain which I am going to follow up one day, what famous ancestors we have.