Teaparties and Lace: When birds attack!!!

I have to write this now after the 'event', I am shaking but laughing at myself at the same time! Now, I am a bit of a girl but have a phobia of all things fluttery, flying, wing beating, and/or jumping. It may go back to when my lovely dad used to catch daddylonglegs and pretend he had them in his hands and run around chasing me as I screamed and tried to find a place to hide. To this day, if a daddylonglegs comes in the house, I run and hide throw a tea-towel at Mr P and ask him to get rid of of it...(shudder) just the thought makes my skin crawl. Bluh. Anyway, I was at home and noticed at the window a sparrowhawk. I knew that it was around as last summer I was slightly tramatised but the sight of it going into our hedge and coming out with a sparrow in its claws. It flew off but the poor sparrow families who live in our hedge were distraught. Normally the only thing that they need to worry about is our cat and they don't even worry about him, more taunt.....So I grabbed Mr P's camera, putting the strap over my neck like I've been told and raced out to take soe photos. It was all going fine until the bird noticed me. Looking through a lens didn't make it seem so bad but then I realised there was nothing between me and it. Looking at the photos you can tell its getting ready to do something and do something it did. I swear, it came right for me! I ducked for cover and it swerved, went into the hedge, plucked out a poor sparrow and flew off. I was slightly shakey (have you seen those claws) and but fine...until I looked around and saw my neighbours front door open with the whole family watching me. They had seen it all, granted I was sneaking around the road right by their car but was that casue for concern? ;-) So we taked about what had happened and the dad of the family said 'that's something you don't see everyday'...I'm not sure if he meant the sparrowhawk, a grown woman ducking for cover under his car from a bird whilst trying to prtect her husband's camera or all of the above. Anyway, I've got photos to prove my little adventure. In the meantime, our cat came rushed out the front door faster than I've ever seen him move. I like to think he was protecting me but I think he was just after the biggest feathered dinner he'd ever dared to dream of.