Roxy...

Our feral pigeon is still with us, though is now showing much more interest in the outside world and enjoys foraging and flying (though not so much when it's snowy or windy). Today sh/e was out for over three hours and came zooming back in to the house at very high speed. We're beginning to suspect that she is a he - he seems to think the cats are other pigeons and spends a lot of time courting them! He's also very possessive about his favourite perches and will vigorously attack anyone who comes near. I think it'll soon be time to make an outside dovecote for him!

At least he provided a blip in a day with little opportunity for photography. In the morning I took Alex to the orthodontist, for a casting for a new retainer. Before we left I made minestrone soup and garlic focaccia for lunch, which was shared by a lovely young woman from Luxembourg, who came to borrow some of Pete's specimens for an interactive key that she's producing as part of her Master's degree. We had a lot to chat about, though I felt quite humbled that she spoke such excellent English, and could also converse happily in German and French as well as her native Luxembourgish!