In the mood

A weird day.  Mostly waiting for tomorrow. Blood test first thing.  The nurse had been a HCA for 19 years, and was graduating from her nursing degree tomorrow.  We swapped notes on studying with a toddler, and I shared my graduation wisdom about safety pins.  Busy day at work.  Managed to buy lunch at the station even though I had lunch plans.  So I had a coffee at the lunch meeting then ate my train station salad between watching presentations.  Gave a talk to some colleagues from other schools who are up in Liverpool for a national meeting.  Seemed to go well.  I enjoyed it anyway.  

Accidentally bought and ate ice cream on the way home.  All in the name of academic research of course.

More running around this evening with shopping and child taxi.  Wasn't sure what to blip, as I went into the garden an army helicopter flew over and scared all the jackdaws from the woods across the field - I didn't have the right setting on my camera in time but I enjoyed the cacophony of disgruntled jackdaws being unsettled even if the shot doesn't capture it so well (see extra).

On the meadow strip in the grass there were lots of these red beetles - although most of them were having a jolly old time in the business of procreating with another friendly red beetle.  It was quite a sight.  Clearly a popular spot for getting in the mood.  Hopefully their offspring like courgettes, there are several billion of them growing in the garden and we are on our 90th meal of courgette pasta already.