The Lyons Share

Today has been weird, so this post is going to reflect that I'm afraid. Lying in bed this morning I was awoken by a sound somewhere between R2D2 and Predator. I thought it was Jo's new alarm clock but when I then heard a sound like something from Jurassic Park, I flung the curtains open and saw a massive green parrot! It flew off before a photo could be taken but I saw it through my bins. It had a very short tail, a pale eye-ring and small but bright red patches in its wings. Bright green with perhaps some blue-green in there too. It was not a macaw. Last seen heading south towards Fiveways.

I had the afternoon off to finally get my back X-rayed and went a walk around Shoreham to psych myself up beforehand. I only saw two Ringed Plovers and a Whimbrel and was getting bored. I found some disturbed chalky ground in the middle of a playing field with Small Toadflax and Sharp-leaved Fluellen. Suddenly I noticed right at my feet a big mottled green lizard basking on a rock. The ridiculous concept of Sand Lizard sprung to mind that rapidly gave way to the more realistic alternative, I was looking at a naturalised Wall Lizard! Still, it's a new species for me! Sadly, it legged it before my fat hands could get my camera out of my bag.

Whilst receiving a dose of radiation to my spine 65 times greater than that of a typical chest X-ray, I suddenly thought that the internal workings of my own body are technically natural history and took a quick photo of the plate. So, for the first time ever (and hopefully the last), here is my lower spine and pelvis. Categorical proof that I am not an invertebrate. Maybe after only 12 weeks I'll get a diagnosis on Friday now!