Losing the plot

Today made me judge my sanity. With the intention of arriving at Krokstrand at around 3pm to watch HMS St.Albans sail past (she is a British frigate captained by a friend of mine and on a visit to Oslo) I thought I would drive the scenic route there. This took me through Oppland, most of Akershus and a good chunk of Østfold with nothing of any interest bird wise to show for it. The only thing of any ornithological interest that resulted from my travels was that I could confirm there has been a mass exodus of the wintering Hawk Owls.

I arrived at Krokstrand at 1505 in just the nick of time as the boat (or is it a ship?) was offshore at, in seawatching terms, 12o'clock. A few minutes later and I would have missed her which would really have rounded off a miserable day. In the end though I was able to watch it steaming north into the mist and being dwarfed by the Colour Line Danish Ferry coming out of the mist towards it.
 

 

is this a near miss in nautical terms?

 

Some birding salvation came in the form of the Frogn schoolyard Hawk Owl surprisingly still present although perched on a very distant spruce.
 

Then getting home and picking up my youngest I thought that the birding day had been really saved when I had a close flock of Waxwings (sidensvans) feeding on rotten apples but the camera refused to shoot when they were low and close in the apple tree but worked fine when they took refuge high up with the sun behind them. Not my day...