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Next Item: And so ends the first Challenge
Previous item: Hello, little fellow!
How to be HAPPY! No. 4
Posted on January 31, 2013 in Hounds, Life, the Universe and Everything, Wildlife by Jay9 Comments »

HTBH-Four

There were quite a few things that made me happy this week, so it was a little bit hard to choose which one to show you. I mean, I know my posts ramble on a bit, and I don’t want to bore you all.

But yesterday’s walk at Ferry Meadows pleased me and made me very happy, despite gusts of wind up to 80-odd miles an hour which nearly had both us and the dogs off their feet once or twice.

HTBHappyBadge-5

The sun was strong and the wind was strong, but it wasn’t too cold, which was nice, and the conditions made for some dramatic photo opportunities. I was particularly happy with that picture at the top – a happy accident indeed!

A rook was poking about in the grass quite close to us, so I went to take a picture of him, but he hopped up to the top of the little bank next to the path where he was silhouetted against the low winter sun. I didn’t expect the colours – but aren’t they fun?

A little further on, I glanced over to the lake side of the path, and what did I see?

HTBH-Four-2

A pair of ducks all cosied up in the reeds, sheltering from the wind. Aren’t they cute? This isn’t a breeding pair, but lots of the birds had paired up ready for the breeding season. We saw geese and ducks two-by-two all over the place.

This little fellow was on his own though -

HTBH-Four-3

And it made me very happy to see him – or her – I have no idea. Both male and female Great Crested Grebes look pretty much the same. He or she is in breeding plumage though!

They’re not seen particularly often around here, at least not by me (which is why it made me happy), but aren’t they pretty? Elegant little birds.

You’ll have to forgive the quality of the shot, but it was moving fast, partly because it was shy of me, and partly because it was being blown along the surface of the water. And then, every so often, it would dive, and come back up somewhere else!

So there you have it. A fairly ordinary dog walk turned into an occasion for happiness – which is everywhere if you look for it!

‘How to be HAPPY!’ is a brand new meme. It’s about finding the little things in life which bring a smile or a glow of warmth to our hearts and souls during our daily lives. Why? Because it’s the way all these little things add up which truly determines if we are happy people, not the big stuff like a lottery win.

To enter, write a post about one thing which has made you happy in some small way recently – it could be birdsong, a favourite smell, a particularly good loaf of bread, a blue sky, anything! Then scroll to the bottom, click the Mr Linky graphic and add your blog post details to the Linky which will appear in a new window, and you’re in.

If you’d like, copy the badge (up at the top of this post) and paste it into your own.

Oh, and it would be nice if you popped round to visit and comment on a few of the others, too!


9 Responses to “How to be HAPPY! No. 4”

  1. on 31 Jan 2013 at 2:02 pm1Jeannine

    Nice shots!! And I love grebes… all of them! they’re so cute!

  2. on 31 Jan 2013 at 2:17 pm2houndstooth

    You got some beautiful shots! You have the most interesting birds in your area!
    houndstooth´s last blog post ..A Pupdate On Our Challenges

  3. on 31 Jan 2013 at 4:24 pm3Ron

    Jay, that first photo is AMAZING!!!!!!

    And so are the others.

    *clapping*

    BRAVA, my friend!

    ” A fairly ordinary dog walk turned into an occasion for happiness – which is everywhere if you look for it!”

    You are so right….if we only LOOK for it!

    Happy Thursday!

    X
    Ron´s last blog post ..With Kisses, Olivia

  4. on 31 Jan 2013 at 4:51 pm4Rob Lenihan

    A pair of ducks? What a paradox! It really isn’t but I never miss a chance to make a lame pun.

    Lovely photos, Jay. Thanks for bringing some happiness into my day!
    Rob Lenihan´s last blog post ..Running of the Bull

  5. on 31 Jan 2013 at 11:46 pm5meleah rebeccah

    Awwwwwwwww!

    This post is filled with so much happy, now I am filled with happy!
    meleah rebeccah´s last blog post ..The Reason Why – I Am The Queen of TMI

  6. on 01 Feb 2013 at 12:05 am6Jay

    Jeannine – I do too! They’re very elegant.

    I was thinking about you the other day, listening to the loon calls!

    Houndstooth – Thank you! Yes, some are gorgeous, though others are fairly ordinary.

    Ron – That’s why I thought I’d try to start this meme (though not many people take part), because people need to learn to look, then they’d all be happier and it’d cost them nothing!

    Rob – Haha! Oh, carry on with the puns, lame or not!

    Meleah – I am very happy to hear it! :)

  7. on 01 Feb 2013 at 1:52 am7Those Brindle Kids

    Now I’m happy because I’m inspired to look for wildlife on my walks with the dogs. I’ll have camera in hand – let’s see how it goes.
    Great shots!
    Those Brindle Kids´s last blog post ..Comet’s Tale

  8. on 01 Feb 2013 at 5:16 am8What Remains Now » Blog Archive » Inspiration Results – January 31

    [...] Thursday, I’m also participating in How to be HAPPY! a challenge hosted by Jay of The Depp Effect. This is a great challenge because it really makes you consider the things that make life good, and [...]

  9. on 01 Feb 2013 at 9:45 am9Jay

    Those Brindle Kids – Great! I look forward to seeing your posts! You could link back to here, too, if you like. :)

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