It's been a difficult few days since I last posted.  Last Friday Jenny and I made our way up north to visit our Son Tom, Carrie and Granddaughter, Izzy which of course was no hardship but then my toothache really took hold and an abscess developed to unbearable proportions. In addition I had one of those 24 hour bug things which then went on to be a 48 job. This culminated with  a visit to the butcher of Bulgaria, a dentist who seemed as though he had trained on  farm horses back home. To be brief, a nightmare week….. so bad that I couldn't even finish my pint in the pub last night!  But I am back and as soon as my face started to get almost back to it's ugly self I went to my hide to have a look……. Guess what?  A new, very dark Kingfisher paid a visit. Even if I had not immediately noticed that it was so dark I would have known that it was not used to the territory because it hovered around right in front of me looking for somewhere to settle. It chose a perch much too close to me and in the setting sun, which was right in my face, there was no way of getting a picture. Never the less it caught a very little fish and if it is a newly fledged bird from the next round of kingfishers that are obviously breeding somewhere nearby, there is obviously going to be "fireworks" again. If I feel up to it I will visit first thing in the morning.

 I spent the night on the lounge chair downstairs, I tell you this because at around 7 my laying hens were making a real commotion. I quickly got out of the chair and clutching my throbbing jaw, went to the back door and flung it open to see what all the fuss was about. If only I had looked out on to the lawn because there right in front of me was the Sparrowhawk with a  dove that she had just killed. Opening the door was too much and she immediately flew up with her prey and left the scene of the crime. What a spectacle but also one that was tinged with real disappointment because had I have seen her I could have easily got great photos from  upstairs. 

I am hoping to get a good nights sleep tonight and my blog will be back to normal tomorrow with more Kingfishers and also Dipper I hope.