Watchful

Today was R's Big Birthday, and after he'd opened his cards and presents from the family we spent a happy day together. We had lunch at Loxleys in Stratford, and decided to share a Chateaubriand - for the admittedly not very sensible reason that we were amused by it costing the same in pounds as R's age in years, but it was truly exceptional, and worth both the price, and the wait while it was prepared. 

Afterwards we pottered around Stratford for a while, heavily weighed down by rocket salad (unless the culprit was the triple-cooked chunky chips, though that seems unlikely), and then made our way back home. I think it's possible that R might have taken a birthday nap at that point, but I needed a photo, so I hauled myself round to the old village pond in the hope of finding more Willow Emerald Damselflies. Sadly there were none around today, and the two Southern Hawker females who were there ovipositing both chose to do it in deep cover, so I was grateful to this little Common Darter for positioning himself on a leaf tip out in open water, where he was nicely lit by the late afternoon sun.

Happy birthday to my one and only and always.