The idea of perfection

Reading Worthy Books is something I have always wanted to do but somehow in the busyness of life have not managed, so far, to do much of. I always thought: when I retire...Well, I'm as good as retired - not quite but almost - and I'm still struggling to do enough of it. The trouble is, when I get wrapped up in a book I just neglect everything else! If I could read in bed before sleeping it might be different, but I only get about 30 seconds of lying in bed, tired, before the eyelids come down. That's about a paragraph. Takes a long time to get through a Worthy Book at that rate. So this is how I found myself in bed this morning long after getting up time, because I just had to finish Kate Grenville's The Idea of Perfection.

I do recommend the book, although no doubt most of you read it years ago when it was first published. It is a gritty, detailed portrait of a scrabbling, hot, outback town and the people who live there for shorter or longer times. It sounds dire but you end up so enjoying the company of all those characters and it speaks of the good natured tolerance that living in small communities calls forward. Mae lent it to me as it was lent to her. Now I'm lending it to David.

I should be working on writing my new brochure for my new practice instead of writing my blog, so I won't go on and on. Just want to share some more butcher bird photos.

These are the two babies. They positioned themselves just like this in the sun and stayed there motionless and getting panting hot for quite some time yesterday morning. Is it all about baking off their parasites?

You know a little bird feels safe and comfortable in your presence when it settles down on top of its feet, with its back facing you but so close you could touch it,

then drops off to sleep.

This morning - 6.30am, dawn cloud colours over the sea which is beyond those trees. This high placed east facing window is like a picture frame. Especially if you are tall.