Every cloud

I was having an off day today, but I persuaded myself to go for a stroll to the marshes. Considering the amount of rain that had fallen at the end of last week, common sense told me my Merrells were not the best option, so on went the Brashers. I hadn't even got to the end of the drive and an acute pain in my heel had me retying my laces. And again before I'd left the street. Then I just got grumpy and carried on.

I made it to the marshes and they were living up to their name, so from that point of view the boots were the right choice, but my knee was complaining a little too now.
It was worth the pain. If I hadn't perservered, I wouldn't have seen the big bird that flew up from one of the burns that feeds into the Findhorn, but it wasn't a heron. And as I looked closer, I realised it wasn't a buzzard either. It was an osprey! I watched it fight against the gusty wind with it's catch and land on the mudflats a little off shore. I hurried on my path and then carefully made my way, from tussock to tussock in the marshiness, to a rather handy log upon which to rest my behind as I peered through the binos.

Wrong binos and no camera, but a reasonable view nevertheless as the osprey, I presume to be a late leaving juvenile, tore into it's meal, watched very closely by a common gull, just incase it left a crumb. All rather pleasing to see, but I have my concerns about that osprey. I know that the parents and juveniles have all left Boat of Garten and started their migration, so one would think this one should have too. I'll maybe pop down that way later in the week and see if there's still any sign of it. I've never seen osprey quite so often in the bay as I have this year. They've been around for years, I'm just not usually that good at being in the right place at the right time. The day after the Dava Way walk, we were watching four fishing in the bay at the same time. Fabulous!

As to the heel, I'm going to have it amputated. It's a really pathetic, frustrating injury. There's nothing to see, no bruising or swelling, it doesn't hurt if I'm barefoot around the house, in trainers at the gym or at Tesco in my Merrells but the Brashers are a no go. I can only assume they put my foot into the position it was in when the dog took my feet out from under me.

I don't do patience. Ask the children.

What a groan!