Don't jump

.... but he did, and I watched mesmerised as this little dipper dived off the stone, disappeared under the water for about 6 seconds, re-emerging a distance away to be carried along on the surface of the water along with the current until he suddenly flipped his wings and flew back to his stone. I know the shot isn't that great or clear - it was a big ask for my compact - but it had to be my blip today as I have never witnessed these little birds in action before and was fascinated. The water level is very low as not that long ago these large rocks were completely submerged, so presumably the little chap was finding it easier to search for food.

The path along the river is wide and fairly flat so that it can be used by everyone however secure they are on their legs or whether they are on bikes, in pushchairs or on scooters. I was joined in my walk today by my good friend who looks after Bruce when I am away, her daughter and boyfriend. The latter is one of the brave young men who have returned from Afghanistan without his legs following a land mine accident. Today he was using a three wheeled roadster wheelchair which he works by pulling at two levers as if he is Nordic skiing. Nothing deters this young man and hopefully in a few operations time he may be fitted with new limbs. Such courage makes me feel quite humble.

While we walked we also came across several pairs of mallards obviously hoping that spring was not far away. This was my nearly blip as I loved the Japanese style reflections of branches on the water . Shortly after I took this shot the blue sky was enveloped in grey once more and we were bombarded with soft polystyrene balls of snow for about fifteen minutes.