Afternoon nap

Today was the last day of work at BAE in Christchurch. I am now officially an unemployed bum! I was rather touched when my work colleagues presented me with an engraved tankard - it was absolutely spot on and entirely unexpected.

Unfortunately the change of job means no more commuting through the New Forest - something I'm really not looking forward to. I was desperately trying to think of a photo that summed my commute up for me and so I figured a bad shot of deer at Boulderwood would be the way forward.

Trust me - for the one decent one there have been a few thousand I have thrown straight in the bin!

What I hadn't banked upon was the half-term - and the hoards of kid's that would be scaring the deer off. So instead I spent a few minutes stalking some horses around the corner, and got some lovely blips.

Half an hour later it occured to me that if all the kids were scaring the deer on one side of the sanctuary - the one nearest the car park - then I might have some luck on the side furthest away.

As I made my way across to it, I stumbled across a lonesome doe. Very carefully I stalked her for five minutes or so, getting even more nice blips. As I turned to pick my way back I suddenly realised that in my slow pursuit I'd found my way to a side of the sanctuary I hadn't visited before. Even better the doe hadn't been alone, she'd just been making her way back to the herd which was now spread out on the hillside before me.

I've just spent half an hour flipping back and forth between blips trying to pick one, and I eventually settled on this chap as he dozed in the sunshine.

I should leave jobs more often!