It's Magpie season again......

For those of you who have no idea what a Magpie is (colloquially known as a 'maggie'), think of a medium sized black and white bird with a very sharp beak. Then, think of said bird hitting you on the top of the head at warp factor 9. That's a maggie. During breeding season, these things defend their 'territory' with a verve that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Of course, by 'experienced', I mean getting hit on the top of the head by one.
I went for a walk at lunch time today, just to stretch my legs and get out of the office. Little did I know that I was about to enter a battle zone. Less than 5 minutes after leaving the office, I had a gaping wound on my head and blood running down the back of my neck! Well, when I say 'gaping', I mean more like a minor flesh wound, but it *did* bleed like crazy. I'd been attacked by one of the psychopathic feathered fiends and he'd got me a beauty!
Anyway, obviously I've lived to tell the tale (thus far anyway....who knows what horrible diseases I'll get from the wound.....best not to think about it!), but I'll certainly be taking a different route to the shops from now on!