Thursday 18 June 2020

Still here....just

Yes I am still here, although barely. I've seen zero Blyth's Reed Warblers, zero Asian Desert Warblers, in fact since I last posted probably zero Warblers full stop. But of course many congratulations to those who have managed to successfully drive 500 miles and walk to a set of coordinates. I knew June would be like this and I don't care. In fact I am embracing it, and with new-found enthusiasm I am getting all sorts of important jobs done in the garden and the greenhouse which I will not bore you with. Things I have been putting off in some cases for years. Very satisfying. Possibly even more satisfying than the A1. 

I have still not managed to take a day off and I confess it is rather getting to me. Perhaps you can tell? In fact yesterday marked 150 days since I last took a holiday. Anyone who knows me will be aware that this will have shattered any previous record that may have existed. I lived for holidays. Oh, and my wife and children. But anyway, yes, holidays. Travel. Places that are not London. Places with cool birds, great plants, and no people. On the plus side, and this is assuming I don't get made redundant again (that thing known as the world economy does have rather a large bearing on my employment prospects and last I read it was heading south rather quickly), come 2021 I will have a monumental number of days off to take. And of course if I do lose my job I will have even more days than that, so win win really. It does rather depend on not going mad between now and then mind you. Fingers crossed.

Random photo from NY, the last place I visited that was not my house.


5 comments:

  1. There's always tomorrow. Hopefully. Keep the candle burning but not at both ends for a while!

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  2. 150 days without a day off? That's surely illegal - what sector do you work in? We've managed to do a fair bit of local birding on foot - and then using a car club to go as far as 40 miles away. No amazing sightings but it's still been nice - recommmended And I reckon public transport in London is now reasonably "safe"

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    1. Well, there have been weekends! What I meant was I have not had a day of annual leave and been anywhere. Now for 164 days I guess.

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    2. Ah, that makes sense! Me too - there's nowhere to go other than day trips (with the obvious need to find somewhere for a discrete wild wee) Paradoxically it's now quite difficult to find a leave slot because we have to use 60% of our hols before end of August so have more active shifts than previously...but will we see a second spike now?

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