Struck Down

Regular readers will have noticed there has been a lack of blog updates in the last couple of weeks. The reason for this is that I have been unexpectedly in hospital. There I was in work on a Friday lunchtime feeling perfectly normal and thinking about the weekend head when a searing pain developed right through my middle, all my colour drained away, I start sweating and my recently eaten lunch put in a reappearance. The pain was excruciating and I was really struggling to breathe. 30 minutes later and I was in hospital being connected up to all sorts of machines and having all kinds of needles and tubes stuck in me.

The diagnosis quickly came back as a severe acute pancreatitis, a very nasty and potentially life threatening condition. Not quite how I had planned to spend the weekend or the following two weeks! Anyway despite being extremely unwell, I am now making good process and was pleased to be sent home a couple of days ago. My brush with the grim reaper has bought home a couple of key points about life. Firstly you should really saviour and make the most of each and every day as you really never know what is lurking around the corner. It will certainly make me appreciate even more those special moments I share with wildlife. Secondly it really doesn't matter what you have in life because without your health you really do have nothing.

So please bare with me and I will returning to normal blogging activities once I have built some strength back up.

Obviously I didn't want to make a post without a couple of images, so here are a couple of Black-headed gulls that I took at the local marine lake in some late afternoon sun before I was 'struck down'.