THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS FOR HELPING TO MAKE THE LOSS OF MY OLDEST DAUGHTER, FIONA, EASIER TO BEAR! YOU HAVE ALL MADE SO MUCH DIFFERENCE THE LAST 13 DAYS! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.

Yesterday, 15 January 2015, I called in at Fish Creek Park yet again for some fresh air and, hopefully, a friend or two. It was around 3:30 pm when I arrived there - and the park felt strangely empty after all the activity down there this past week or 10 days. There was nobody in sight, except for one very distant photographer. When he got close, I asked him if he had found the little Northern Pygmy-owl. He hadn't, and he said he had been talking with three other photographers earlier and it seems that no one saw the owl yesterday. Really hope it hasn't moved away.

"The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/id

The weather forecast has changed overnight. Last night, it showed snow for today, but instead now shows a chance of a shower for this afternoon. It's a balmy 5C at the moment - if only every winter could be like this one! Much deserved after last winter (2013/2014), which was unbelievably long and brutal. Tomorrow and the next day, Saturday and Sunday are expected to be mainly sunny. As of last night, Sunday was expected to have sun, cloud, snow and rain. My car is gleamingly clean and all set for Sunday, after being caked with dried mud for the last two or three months. I'm hoping it stays that way. Not too likely, though, as I do have to go out again and the roads are messy. Five minutes and the car is sprayed with filthy water. After Sunday, it won't matter.