Time to lighten up

I fear that I've become very political and polarised in recent weeks. If I'm not harking on about the East Kent drains, then I'm groaning about Hen Harrier persecution on the Grouse moors of Northern England.  As important as both these subjects are to me, as an individual, they're probably not the most interesting topics which will arouse attention from third parties - i.e. my blog visitors (back to statistics again!) So, this morning, whilst await the start of my shift, I find myself at a lose end and browsing through the archives.
In spite of my "oft-quoted" opposition to pan-listing league tables, there can be no getting away from the diversity of natural wonders that await discovery by anyone with a desire to look. Bev and I have decided that we need a holiday; somewhere warm. No destination, no dates, as yet - but a holiday is on the horizon. When we first got together, our destinations were chosen with birding potential as one of the factors. In 2015, with my WP list doing OK, birds are no longer a key consideration - what habitat am I surrounded by, what else is out there to be discovered (butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles, etc.....) and will it be safe to wander around alone? So as a pre-cursor to this next adventure, I'll post a few photos of non-avian subjects that I've encountered on my travels, both at home and abroad.

 

 

I have managed to identify some of these varied creatures, but that is not the purpose of this post. I simply wanted to share the pleasure of discovering new avenues of opportunity which exist all around us. If it were not for those "pan-listing" fiends - I'd never have bothered looking. Clouds and silver-linings spring to mind.