A happy fox

 I came down the other to find this chap in my back garden 😍

There will be a flurry of updates next week. AND I really need to do some local days out.

I am reading a lot, mostly science fiction. I have a few series on the go. Kristine Kathryn Rusch diving series, Bova's Grand Tour, McDevitt's Alex Benedict and Heinlein's Juveniles written for teens in the 1940/50s. I've never read the whole series. I've also bought some in paperback, these are 2nd hand. I prefer owning books but I love the convenience of an ebook for fiction. 

I suppose it was about time!

In early 1983 I was on a Cobol Programming course. One of the other participants was, like me, a Science Fiction fan and  recommended the Starchild Trilogy by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson published in the 60s.There was a copy in the Welwyn Book Store (long closed I imagine) which I purchased. For some reason it never got to the top of my reading pile and eventually it got given to a charity shop (my flat had limited storage).

Anyway some time ago I rebought it along with another trilogy by the same two authors. I read that and enjoyed it but the Starchild Trilogy remained unread.....

Well until tonight when I started the first book. Its only taken 42 years! 

Catching up on the walks

I've spent the last two days walking. Well that's not strictly true. I spent the mornings waking. For instance yesterday afternoon I listened to music and finished the book I was reading. 

I had downloaded a collection of 3 Clifford Simak novels for £2.99. The second one in the book is Way Station which I first read certainly close to 35 years ago and haven't read since. It tells the story of  an American Civil War veteran  chosen by an alien to administer a way station for interplanetary travel. It won the Hugo award for best Science Fiction novel. I remember thoroughly enjoying it when I first read it and embarked on a reread with a bit of trepidation but I needn't have worried as it was still superb. Simak style is usually called simple and pastoral which this definitely is. If you want to read one Simak novel then this is an excellent choice. 

Anyway Monday

Both broods are still all there on one of my local ponds. The older one may soon be able to fly off.

You can see the difference ages in the next two photos.

Tuesday

There are 4 foals on the common I've discovered as there was another one at the other end. This one looks a lot younger.

This pony had got loose and so the foal followed her.

Three foals together  :) 

People were fishing at the common pond yesterday. Today there was no one and !! 

These are much younger than the birds on the Newhall pond. I saw 6. There were none last year and it makes up for the lack of ducklings.

  

There seems to lots more Goldfinch about these days.

Oh and I had a Greenfinch on the feeder :)

Audley

It's been a quiet week. I have walked a fair bit, listened to lots of podcasts and read a bit. 

I am trying to work out why Terry Brooks can't extend the Shannara books? if anyone knows let me know as I may have missed something.

YEARS ago and I mean years I read Ben Bova's Voyagers. Now I remember enjoying it but for some reason never read anything else by him and there have been sequels to Voyagers. I therefore decided I finally ought to rectify that. Over the years he has been bust writing lots of stuff including a future history called the Grand Tour. Instead of starting with that I picked up the first volume of a short fiction best of anthology.  I am half way through and it is very good I guess its kind of old school (Bova was an editor of Analog science fiction magazine) but very good it is too. Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke fans will approve and I will read more.

Anyway today I went to Audley. It was grey and dull but was nowhere near as cold as it was yesterday.

I headed straight for the coffee and also had a sausage bap which I took to some outdoor seating in the spot below.

There were two little Grebes and you can tell winter is coming since Tufted Duck numbers are up ;)

I am back next Saturday as well. Lockdown ends Thursday but the weather forecast doesn't look great so nowhere booked yet. Lets hope it stays dry for Hatfield on Wednesday :)

Stay safe everyone.