Looking for Flowing Water

Quite a day, full of content, which started down on the common and a good sunrise for a change (see extra).  I've never seen so many swans congregating in this area before, but this one took the biscuit as he made dry land and walked up to me.  I had to quickly change ISO to ensure a sharp image.

Then as I walked back to the car I came across a coot on the ice close to the bank, who didn't seem to want to move.  I soon realised why; she was caught up in fishing line wrapped around both legs and in her beak, caught across her tongue.  I couldn't leave her, but any attempt to catch her was met with a rush for the open water where she flailed around because of the line.  What to do?

I put the camera equipment away in the car and grabbed a rug in the hope I could catch her while on the ice.  I could see she was tiring from the effort to free herself of the line.  A dog walker joined the effort and with a combination of guile and dumb luck we encouraged her close enough to the bank on the ice to throw the rug over her and bring her to the side of the canal.  I'm always glad that I have a small Leatherman on my key fob, complete with scissors and a couple of minutes later she was free of the line and we were none the worse for the odd nip she delivered in her terror.  She headed off safe and well, without a backward glance.  Somewhere in the back of my mind was the hope that she appreciated our rescue.

Then it was a walk to the hospital for an unscheduled appointment with the consultant.  On Saturday I received a letter with a copy of my histology results. No explanation, it was addressed to my GP who could probably decipher the medical terminology.  All I could see was cause for worry and I'd been onto the consultant first thing on Monday morning to try and find out what it all meant. He'd offered this appointment and good to his word I was in before any of the scheduled patients.

Thankfully, it isn't anywhere near as bad as might have been thought from the letter.  He apologised for it coming out without someone going through the results with me first.  Unfortunately my post operative follow up came before the histology was available.  He could well understand why I might have been worried.  Anyway, suffice to say that after his thorough explanation I can be confident that I'm not about to need further surgery and if all goes well shouldn't need any interventions, at least in the short or medium term.  I will remain on their lists, to monitor my PSA levels, which will be a good indication of the possibility of any residual cancer.  If that were to be the case radiotherapy would be the likely course of action.