Today I went to the Hawk Conservancy Centre near Andover. What an amazing place! There are vultures that fly so close over your head that you have to duck several times, black kites circling above you and catching food catapulted to them, and bald eagles swooping from the horizon back to their handlers just when they step into place. You get to hold a barn owl. Up close, barn owls look like bread rolls with poppy seeds on. And briefly, you get to hold food out for a harris hawk, which lands on your glove to eat. And also they did a duck race.
I can't imagine a better day out!
Photos from the filming on Friday. The piano works its magic on the pianist, with the assistance of two black beaked minions. Phoebe and I - partners in multicoloured novelty crime - are in different parts of the country for a while so we'll edit and put it together later in summer. Despite wind, rain, five zealous security guards and a dog we had a great day making this. Thank you VERY much to my brilliant brother James for playing the piano so well and not once complaining about the costume. 
