Birdwatching Day 2

A week ago I said that I was going to try and stop moaning about my insomnia in my journal. The problem is that this affliction is so much of my everyday (or every night) experience - like last night when I managed only about three hours asleep between 04:00 and 07:00 - boo!

The good thing is that I am high-functioning insomniac: my lack of sleep rarely has an detrimental impact on my activities the next day. Today, for example, I have had lots of fun.

- I cycled to Portobello and back to meet Katharine and Jack for brunch and then a spot of birdwatching. We saw eider duck, goldeneye, a great crested grebe, red breasted merganser, a variety of gulls (blackheaded, herring) and a carrion crow mobbing a female sparrow hawk. After Mr hazelh and I cycled home, Katharine and Jack added to the list bar-tailed godwit, blackbird, curlew, dunnock, greenshank, jackdaw, pink-footed goose, redshank, robin and turnstone. My blip shows Jack looking out to sea with his binoculars.

- I wombled some gardening equipment from neighbours who are moving to Spain in a couple of weeks: two big planters, a watering can, and a lawn spreader.

- I played Carcassonne - I did not win, but that was due to my lack of skill and not sleep deprivation.

- I worked on my secret recreational project, piecing together some information from various disparate sources.

This evening we will watch the next episode of His dark materials (more for Mr hazelh's enjoyment than mine, but I do like the music, the opening credits, and Pan!)

Exercise today: 10 mile bike ride.