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My very lovely sister is getting married in two weeks' time! Very much looking forward to going to Wales, and being in Herefordshire apple-land. We had a hen weekend a few weeks' ago to celebrate her -- expertly arranged and hosted by my ace co-bridesmaids. I had the task of making a gift for our bridal hen. My sister and I have had the privilege of being brought up by a father with an expert eye for pattern spotting. And this he focuses into watching birds -- not just watching them, but collecting beautiful books about them, making lists of species, charts of geographies. Many, many weekends in childhood were all about binoculars, hides, telescopes and standing still, waiting for Dad, on sea walls and industrial waste lands. So it made sense to make an 'Observer's Field Guide' to my sister, based on those so beloved by our earnest father. Everyone sent me their notes on what they had observed of her during lots of lovely friendships: plumage, diet, call, habitat, and so on. I put them together with lots of photos of her, annotated with observations, and sketches of birds to give the general feel. I made it through Photobox's book option, which ended up looking great, but drove me insane. But it was a perfect weekend of celebration, and she was absorbed by poring over the book, Dad-style, all the next day -- which is just what we wanted.