NaBloPoMo: day 20

Have you seen this amazing footage from David Attenborough's Planet Earth II? It's heart-stopping! 

We had a fun day out for Luke's sister's surprise 40th birthday party today. She had no inkling whatsoever, so the look on her face was priceless. Her three-year-old daughter, who was in her arms when we yelled "Surprise!", had not long woken from a nap and she could not have been less underwhelmed by the whole thing! 

The food at the winery was tasty (Cheese! Slow-cooked lamb! Pavlova!) and the weather was warm and sunny, albeit a little too warm where we were sitting. I was well and truly ready for a nap by the time we left, but I haven't had one, which is actually a good thing because, after two bad nights' sleep, I need to maximise my chances of a good eight hours tonight. 

Fantastic Mr(s) Fox

This fox! Its face! It's so urbane. If it could speak, it would have a very cultured accent and utter things like, "Oh, I say".

It's a Himalayan sand fox - footage is from David Attenborough's documentary The Himalayas. 

JBPM: day 15

I saw a Nankeen Night Heron  fishing from one of the jetties along the river on my way home tonight. I always walk as close as I can to the water's edge to increase my bird-spotting chances. 

We watched a David Attenborough's Life of Mammals on TV tonight. I'd never heard of this funny little creature, the sengi or elephant shrew, before. Look at their noses! Look at them run! The most remarkable thing is that the baby is nearly fully grown in just a week.

I had heard of the pangolin, which also featured in the same episode (about insect eaters), but I cannot get over what a bizarre creature it is. And look at it run, pootling along on its hind legs.  The world is a strange and amazing place.