Erm, yet another rainy Sunday in Hokkaido.

One of several Black Browed Reed Warblers at Ono this afternoon. One of my fave summer birds, they're a little bit shy but not as cowardly as their much bigger and noisier relatives, Oriental Reed Warblers.

I still couldn't get really close though.......







Lots of activity in the ricefields, Chestnut Eared Buntings, Night Herons, Lathams Snipes...........and lots and lots of Stonechats. the ones I've been photographing a lot recently have had a new addition to the family.





And here's a baby White Wagtail...........



Not much to report from town, the common birds are still common. The Red Cheeked Starlings are very active and the first young should be leaving the nest this week.....



And ditto the Bullheaded Shrikes.......



I'll stop moaning about the weather and moan about a new topic instead. This..........



The City Hall employs a small army of men to cut the grass in town. I admit the grass does grow very quickly here in summer but these guys have become the bane of my life. See that thing he's using to cut the grass? That's something to trim the edges right? Or perhaps to get in those little nooks and crannies where a regular lawnmower can't reach? Then why the hell do they use them to cut a whole field? I could put up with the noise for the hour or so it would take (with a normal lawnmower) to cut the waste ground next to my apartment building. But it took two whole days for this clown to do it. Two days of whirring buzzing noise.

I don't think Japan is a 'let's get things done' society. Rather it's a 'let's find something to keep us all occupied' society. Efficiency is not important as long as everyone is seen to be working hard. This method of cutting the grass ticks all the right boxes in Japan. Someone is seen to be working hard (even if the task is ridiculous) and they're being as noisy as hell about it too just in case nobody noticed he was working hard in the firs place.

Imagine a factory. The manager realizes the floor needs to be swept. He could give the job to a professional floor sweeper with a big brush who could do it in an hour or so or he could give the job to a dozen other guys with toothbrushes. He tells them to get their toothbrushes ready and says it's OK to take a few days about it. That factory is every City Hall in Japan.

Why do I get annoyed about this? Because I have to listen to that f**king machine (what is it called, a Strimmer or something?) from 8.30am to 5pm.

You can tell I'm bored.

So England look like they can book their hotels in South Africa. I'm happy Ronaldo is on his way, never liked the smarmy little ba*tard anyway.

I hope the weather improves. If not, i'll have to find something else to moan about. That new noisy as hell construction project just round the corner will probably fit the bill..........