Yes, Another Post....

Deary me, what is the world coming to, five in five days, and this one with not all that much about birds. No, I still haven't gone to Cornwall...

So, I went to Exeter. Walking boots that really needed replacing and a scout for a new lens ⁄ new camera setup being the priorities, with a sneaky detour planned for some birding, because its shutdown week and I can't let a day go by without some! :D

Buying footwear is not something to be taken lightly for me. I have broad feet with high insteps that mean most boots are either too long or I can't get into them. As for shoes - forget it. When I was a kid you could see the assistants at Clarks trying to hide when they saw us coming in... [[Other shoe retailers may still be in business?]] Today was a good day, only the 4th pair was a good fit [though the retailer was a) very good and b) sold me some light boots earlier this year and remembered the fun]. In fact, I think a plug is in order [I'm not the BBC, after all]; for all your outdoor needs, be it clothing, kit, or footwear, if you're in Exeter, go first to Moorland Rambler. They're very good, very helpful and generally deserve your custom. [[No, they didn't pay me to say that, though if anyone from there is reading this and would like to..]]

I also surprised myself by buying a lens. Straight up, "I'll take it". I was just browsing about the second hand stuff [having seen the new prices..] and thought I might as well get hands on a couple. Lens in question is by someone I've never heard of; 'Mitsuki' [Which if you search you will learn is 'Three months' in Japanese and also an anime character...]. Apparently also a name of convenience for an OEM. Go figure. Anyway, this thing [and what a thing, it weighs a kilo or so] is a 75-260mm Macro, entirely manual, it will focus down to 195mm, which is pretty impressive [especially compared to my old Sigma]. Learning to use it will be interesting, as it focusses the other way and zooms properly [as opposed to the Sigma's trombone style].

My detour was in search of Dippers, about which I had some gen. Alas I dipped [I should have expected that, with all the puns I've been flinging around lately...], but I did finally see my first Kingfisher of the year [Woohoo!] and a very nice female Sprawk had a soar overhead after seeing off a couple of noisy Crows. Also a smart Grey Wag and a very over-friendly Labrador called Rocket...