Today has felt a bit more like normal life, a quiet day when I've had a chance to sort out the book and paper mountains which have grown stealthily while my attention has been elsewhere. It has been unusually sunny today after this summer of relentless rain, with a distinct feeling of autumn. I've enjoyed having time to spend with Chicken and Ziki- and can only hope they take the same view. I've been delighted too to read the comments from fellow-corvid lovers as I have the splendid letters I've been sent, including one with a most delightful photograph of a young lady with a baby magpie sitting contentedly on her head.
By now, Chicken's almost past the period of moulting and, like Ziki, is beginning to look magnificent again. Ziki spends more and more time preening himself and bathing and the other day, gave forth three extremely surprising loud and distinctly crow-like shouts.
Now, I have to read the many elements of the book-mountain, among them 'The Wisdom of Birds-An Illustrated History of Ornithology' by Professor Tim Birkhead, a gorgeous book which is bound to be as irresistible to other people who like birds, as it was to me. I don't think it's published until next month but I was lucky enough to find an advance copy in the bookshop at the Edinburgh Book Festival.
On Thursday, I hope that my own choice of 'Ten Best Books'-on the subject of birds-will be on the Guardian's website.
