Friday, October 19, 2007

Day off work...

Today, I was mostly on Stonehaven beach eating Pistachio Ice Cream from Aunty Betty's Ice Cream Parlour and 24 Hour Mobile Disco, with the family. Out for the last hour birding, picking up a grand (not so grand) total of 5 Goldcrests in bushes down the Elsick Burn, 3 Song Thrushes and about 20 Blackbirds, some of which are probably migrants. A Rock Pipit on the beach, and a Guillemot (Common Murre) sat out on the rocks, on its last legs. I've never understood this 'last legs' thing*. Which legs is it meant to be on? I'm on my last legs too. At least I think they're mine. By this time on a Friday I can't feel them. Rabbits, where? Oh Wowww!

There was also a juvenile Red-throated Diver, trying to hide among 100 European Herring Gulls, only about 25 m offshore. That was all today - didn't take long.

*Other things I don't understand. If a British person couldn't care less about something, that's what they say, e.g. 'I couldn't care less what you think about the effect of Ptarmigan crap on vulnerable high arctic ecosystems'. The same person in the US would say 'I could care less', and mean the same thing. That is patently nonsense.

4 comments:

Stewart said...

Martin, are you American?

Martin said...

Hell no, y'hear? But I'm working on it. Some of my best friends make pretend drive-thru noises when they go to Maccy D's. I'm working on US nationality, tho. It's a little known secret that I'm the next-but-two President of the United States. There'll be some elections, and they'll *look* free and fair (except in Florida of course), but it's all been arranged. It's all a big conspiracy, but the gumment don't know about this one.

Stewart said...

Now I'm confused...

Anonymous said...

Only the idiots say "I could care less" the ones with some intelligence say it correctly. We have to think about it before we say it though, just be sure. We do sometimes say "I couldn't give a rat's ass." as if we had rat's asses coming out of our ass, which is another way of saying "if we had a lot of rat's asses to give away". And it is ass and not arse. arse just seems like a speech impediment to me. but, hey, love the music, the monty python, the food - not so much, the humor..sure...what else...the office...extras....not so much those old lady sitcoms that they play over here on public tv --- keeping up appearances..stuff like that. I'll drink a Bass or Guiness if I have to, but prefer my locally brewed IPA which I guess started in Britain....oh hell...where was I going with this...