The river was seething with cormorants this morning. They've definitely moved in. I don't think it's just that I started watching them; I really think that they are new this year. I did the big garden birdwatch at the weekend (sat on the upstairs windowsill, confusing the cats) and an hour of focussed attention got me a count of 31; mostly it was starlings, but still, I was pleased. That's good going for such a densely populated area, such small gardens.

Monday had a more fragmented commute, so I had to spread timscience's Midnight at the Winter Palace over two days. Both those days, I found myself murmuring Crystal Castle's cover of Platinum Blonde's Not in Love (feat. Robert Smith) to myself over and over on the stairs and in odd moments at work. Have a download link and listen to it yourself. Just beautiful. The rest of the mix is the same; crystal deep freeze tunes from a cold and sinister season. Go under the cut for the full track list and the astonishing video to White Ring's IxC999.