Wild Geese

Twenty years ago Little Egrets lived in places like the South of France not in the bucolic greenery of central southern England, but now two live in Hungerford, this one flying over Freeman's Marsh in the late October sunshine today.
Nor would I expect to see a Greylag Goose here; I always associate them with wild empty saltmarshes and the call of the curlew, but thirty plus were honking their way northwards over the River Dun this morning in a great diagonal line to who knows where.
And Stonechats - I thought they lived on Cornish clifftops, but now we have at least three clacking away on the same marsh, two males and a female.
Needless to say West Berkshire Council have given permission for a marina and hotel to be built on this Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the owners are busy advertising for investors. It beggars belief.

Rat

I had to kill a rat today. At first I thought it was an oversized dormouse shivering on the concrete by the washing machine, scrunched in and fluffed up. But it was a young rat. It had eaten poison. I picked it up by the tail and its legs cycled as if it was running slowly in a nightmare. I smashed it's head against the corner of a brick wall, but it's eye was still open looking at me. I smashed it again and it died hanging in the foetal position, paws pulled in, eyes closed. And it wet itself. It was a girl.

Kite

Watched a red kite sail on big lazy wings along the ridge of our 17th century cottage, searching for carrion like its medieval ancestors . Only a TV aerial spoiled the picture.

London Fashion Week

The highlight of the day was the Preen show, not so much because of the clothes which were very nice, but because the amazing venue at Lords Cricket Ground was so brightly lit that writers were complaining of headaches. But the models seemed to be floating in space, and the photographers had room to work, and we went away happy.
Those who think that catwalk photography is all glamour and fun and frippery, should know that a certain well respected British national newspaper uses one of its war photographers to cover the London, Milan and Paris collections.

Richard III - An Arab Tragedy

Photographed the dress rehearsal for 'Richard III - An Arab Tragedy' by the Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre Company at the RSC's Swan Theatre. Just brilliant to watch Shakespeare's relevance to modern day Middle East - West politics, and mostly in Arabic too! Sulaman Al-Bassam was directing with a stinking cold, poor man. The photograph shows Richard III in his "My kingdom for a horse" moment played by Fazek Kazak.
(Richard was the ruthless one who's thought to have killed the princes in the tower to secure the crown and was ousted and killed in battle two years later by Henry Tudor)

Snow

Global warming went on hold in England today for 24hours and for once it snowed, and it was just a treat to look at. Thing was, I drove 180 problem-free miles to Stratford-upon-Avon and back. My writer couldn't make it from London because the trains were disrupted by weather. Airports were closed for part of the day, schools closed, and people stayed at home. I sometimes feel guilty about using a car so much, no matter how low its emissions, and repeatedly hear politicians spouting off on the subject of overcowded roads, but it's usually me that turns up on time, not the public transport users, bless their cotton socks.