Turnstones

I feel it's an admission of failure on my part to post yet another collage - a failure to be definite in my choice, to decide which is the best representation of my day. Trouble is, I take too many photos - it becomes a habit when I don't have to hand them in for processing as in the old days (or develop and print them, as I did with my father when I was 9 ...)

Let's just say this was a multi-faceted day. It began with Pilates, going out shivering in the black and flame-coloured leggings topped with three layers of t-shirt, fleece and massive puffa gilet into near zero temperatures and not getting warm enough even after a truly strenuous hour to take the fleece jersey off. It continued with a serious burst of effort on my Italian, which is why I felt driven to put a screen-shot of the leader-board at lunchtime: I'm no longer at the No 1 position, but it was good while it lasted. I've worked out a way to get double points and bonuses every time I do the lessons - it's all to do with timing and not doing the last lesson in each section when I don't have time to use an extra 15 minutes of double points. (You really wanted to know that, didn't you?)

After lunch, and despite our both feeling the effects of the Pilates, we couldn't resist the glorious sunshine and went for a brisk walk along the front to Kirn and back. That's when I clocked the parallel birds on the outcrop of rock just off-shore: they're turnstones, and they really do turn over the sand on the shore to find their food, but today they were just sitting contemplating the calm sea and looking orderly. 

On the way back I took the photo looking down river into the gold of the almost-sunset because I was intrigued by what looks like a couple of small islands where I didn't think there should be any - I shall investigate later. And I loved the jaggy leaves of the plant in a pot on the promenade, with its leaves gradually disintegrating and leaving the hairy fibres waving there.

On the way home we called in on our friend Paddy on the off-chance that she'd be in; in fact she was already entertaining a mutual friend from church and we all ended up sitting round her kitchen table drinking tea and talking about theology and cancelled holidays ...

Still not heard from the travel company, but see from the navigation site that our cruise ship has clearly sailed back through the Suez canal and is heading for Piraeus. I do not fancy the Med in January.