Boxing day just about and I am tired. My brother in law bought my children a Nintendo Wii for Christmas and they are as I am eternally grateful, but he went home yesterday and I am still here. My eldest who normally has an allergic reaction to exercise of any sort has decided that exercising in her own home in front of the the TV is something to be desired and has embraced it whole heartedly, I can just about keep up. I does make me realise just how stiff and inflexible my joints have become. Slowly I will have to get a bit fitter. "Lord Grant me patience, but hurry."

So what else is going on, yesterday was spent at home enjoying Christmas. The weather has been slowly improving. It rained last night and most of the lying snow had gone when dawn came up here in the midlands. I did manage a walk around Forge Mill lake in the Sandwell Valley this afternoon. Just to get keep me moving if anything, the rest of the family wimped out for one reason or another, on the whole preferring to take their exercise in the living room.

The lake was largely iced over, this being a fairly Representative picture. Most of the birds being concentrated in the small open areas mainly around the farm area, where people often come to feed the "ducks".

I got there about 3:00 and the light was already going by then. There was enough cloud to hide the sun for large parts of my walk which was a pain. But I did need to get out and stretch my legs after what seemed like days of indulgence.

Coming past the large RSPB hide walking anti-clockwise around the lake, I saw a flock of Lapwing come in to rest on the ice. I have seen them mainly on the island in the southern section of the lake, but today they had abandoned this refuge for dubious delights of sitting on what I can only assume to be melting ice in the middle of a lake.

It did look pretty and I took a number of pictures, this being my favourite at the moment though it is fairly marginal.

Walking on around the lake the sun eventually dipped below the horizon. However walking along passed the farm I was able to see this view, I like the gold behind the trees.

As the light faded over the next few minutes saw the next pictures and I like the blue and orange combinations fading into yellow gold beyond the trees.

OK I have talked myself out this evening.

goodnight