The best pictures

... are in your head. So says Mr PP. And he has a point. This morning I caught sight of a bird that I have not seen for decades: a male bullfinch was sitting in a bush right outside our bedroom window! So thrilled to see him, even though he disappeared before I could take a photo.

My main blip is of a juvenile sparrow, well camouflaged, possibly the same one who I saw being fed by its parent yesterday.

My Extra demonstrates another value of photography, beyond that of recording a moment: it helps clarify pictures that don't make sense in your head. I spent a while trying to work out this squirrel's anatomy as I watched it on a feeder. Looking at the photo, I at last made out that its left back leg is stretched behind it, so that its toes curl around a branch alongside its bushy tail. Strangely, it was trying for sunflower seeds rather than peanuts. Haven't seen that before!

A rainy day was brightened when I met a friend (a fellow writer) for lunch. We've been meaning to meet up ever since I moved within reach, so it was good to finally make it. Had a lovely couple of hours together and enjoyed a fine meal, too. We shared a pudding, which worked out well.