1st March 2017 A mouse, a mouse, my kingdom...

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Wednesday 1st 40F, Mixed weather and windy. Walked to the village. Rode to the shops. Rather windy. Wet on the way back. 17 miles. A police motorcyclist grinned back at me as he passed going the other way. I do hope he hasn't been reading my blog. My rights to refugee status have diminished severely since Margaret Thatcher ruled Gravely Blighted with an iron fist! 

Thursday 2nd 38F, 3C, breezy, overcast. Only managed a half hour walk before it started raining. Hoping my new wireless mouse will be ready for collection at lunchtime. That will give me an excuse for a ride. The touch-pad works but I still prefer a mouse. I can't say my handwriting has improved with the new keyboard. No ride today. No mouse either!

Friday 3rd 38-44F, 3-7C, cloudy, windy and pink. Showers and a windy day forecast again. The cloud steadily cleared as  I walked my loop up through the woods and back by the other way. Before I had gone far I saw two pale birds of prey circling tightly around a stand of tall trees. Certainly not the quietest place to park their nest within spitting distance of the road. They obviously haven't been reading the Danish news!

The TV news website reports that many birds of prey are leaving the forests due to excessive mountain biking. The birds like a bit of peace while nesting but literally tens of thousands of riders have been recorded passing nests in some places. A solitary, studded, MTB track on the way to the local woods suggests the birds here are in little danger of being frightened away. The air was often full of the sound of birds today. With Gorgeous little Bullfinches joining Great tits and chaffinches foraging together amongst the hazel and willow catkins. The conifers are often at their best at this time of year with new growth brightening the scene. While everything is underpinned by beautiful snowdrops pushing through the drab and untidy leaf [and McLardy] litter.

Later, I could clearly see a large, snow-white bird of prey perched on the face of a beech wood from right across the field. It was probably visible for miles but waited until I came within 200 yards before moving back through the trees. There was bright sunshine on the last leg of my walk into a cool breeze.

The post office has finally updated the tracking [after two days of total silence] to show my new mouse is walking all the way from the dealer. It would have been quicker [and kinder] for me to cycle to the top of Jutland, collect it in its [bubble pack] cage and then ride all the way back! Retrieving it from the local parcel office will usually have to wait until after lunch.

The Danish post office is in dire financial straits as the letter traffic collapsed with the abuse of emails. Parcel traffic keeps growing but is a different and far more competitive market than a letter monopoly. A seven mile shopping run. The wind made a mild day seem unusually cold. I should add that my new mouse was delighted to be re-homed with me. We have discussed plans for a light exercise regime until it recovers from its lengthy journey. A suitably small, Yoga practice matt is still being sought.

Click on any image for an enlargement. 

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