The Best-Laid Plans...

Monday, January 1st had long been earmarked for the Big Walk. Stepping off your doorstep at first light, straight into the crisp and shiny new year with just bins and a camera, feels such a virtuous way to get the birding ball rolling. However, in 2024 it didn't happen. First off, the weather forecast was awful. Wet and windy from late morning. Great. Secondly, the previous afternoon we had waved goodbye to a friend heading back to London from Axminster Station, following a fortnight of high living, laughter and late nights. We are old now, and were therefore knackered. So the Big Walk became the Little Walk, and was preceded by the Short Drive. A Chiffchaff in West Bay was my January 1st prize.

But that was a week ago. And of course there has been plenty of time since then to get the year list up and running. Except there is no year list. No targets, no goals. In fact there is nothing to galvanise me into action other than a simple desire to get out there and see some birds. And right now I cannot be bothered.

The writing was on the wall more than a month ago. Prior to our friend coming to stay, I just needed to finish off one or two long-neglected DIY tasks to tidy the place up a bit. One thing led to another and, before I knew it, my 'one or two' tasks had morphed into 'lots and lots'. A made-to-measure composite front door is due to arrive tomorrow. At some point in the very near future I'll need to fit it, then treat the hallway with self-levelling compound before laying some flooring, and so on, and so on...

Our little bungalow is 50 years old now, and in many places ripe (desperate?) for renovation. Our neighbour had her ridge tiles rebedded a while back, and I can see that the mortar on ours has pretty much had it. So I've been researching the modern dry-ridge system with a view to having a go later this year. I've tried my hand at all sorts over the years and am pretty confident in most things DIY. Apart from moving the boiler from kitchen to loft (mains gas - definitely one for the professionals!) I installed our current central heating system without mishap, and actually enjoy such projects when they go well. I have an annoying perfectionist streak which balks at the idea of paying other people to do stuff which I could maybe have done better. Plus, mostly I couldn't afford to anyway!

So, yes, I have a lot going on. And I know the birding is going to suffer. Probably this blog too - no-one wants to read a load of DIY content in a birding blog. Birding will happen though, of that I am confident. Once again I am privileged to be a guide on the Seaton Birdwatching Tram, and will be leading our first outing of the year on February 10th. So I had better get some practice in beforehand!

A Chiffchaff at West Bay on Jan 1st is bird of the year so far. (Disclaimer: image may not depict actual bird on actual date in actual place. It is a Chiffchaff though.)