Friday 23 March 2012

Things I like about Spring

Putting the washing out on the line. It never seems to dry but there's something about clean sheets billowing in the wind. Or maybe it's just the novelty of no rain.

Ducks in the garden. They waddle by, as if they own the place. To be fair, they've probably been in residence longer than we have, even if they are second-homers.

LAMBS. I actually feel quite privileged to be their neighbours and watch their infancy up close. At first it's obvious whose lamb is whose. The newborns nuzzle and stay close to mum. Then they begin to stretch their invisible umbilical cord only to be tugged back by a maternal bleat. "Baa baa" is far from accurate. It's more like a "Blerrghhh". Then mum begins to relax and suddenly six lambs are all frolicking together, while the mums just eat grass. I know the feeling (sort of).

It's lighter later. We even took Chicken Boat Mark 2 out for an
evening sail.

Curlews. Or rather being vaguely aware of different birds arriving en masse and deludedly deducing that this must be the centre of the universe.

Fresh eggs from the landlady. I think this has something to do with Spring, but perhaps more to do with her buying new chickens because the others weren't laying.

2 comments:

  1. The lamentable tale of the Whale-shark
    (a partial poem that scans when it can and rhymes when I can make it and doesn't when I can't)(sorry did this in a bit of a rush after driving home)

    The wondrous and terrible creature
    the whale-shark is confused about its name
    it tried Shale and Whark
    but neither seemed really satisfactory.

    Too big for a shark
    and even bigger than a whale
    it terrorised the oceans
    and in hunting never seemed to fail.

    we know a whales tale goes up and down
    and a shark’s goes side to side
    well a whale-shark's does both which means
    he just goes round and round.

    But being part fish part mammal
    does come at quite a cost;
    sharks have lots of sets of teeth
    but a mammal just gets one

    The Whale-shark never brushed or flossed
    and never used mouth wash
    he was always in a rush
    the end result was clear to see
    as every tooth was lost

    Unlike Macheath whose teeth were pearly white
    where, on spotting prey,
    he used to say
    Nyum! Nyum!
    Now he can only bare his gums

    And so they fitted dentures
    which he used to leave at home
    in an enormous glass of steradent
    on the ocean floor.

    And all the other sharks chased him
    with there hideously frightening grins
    just to show him what he could have been
    if only he had looked after his teeth.

    So, no longer king of the ocean
    from battles he did flee
    and rushed back to get his dentures
    from the bottom of the sea.

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    Replies
    1. John that's awesome! I love it. Didn't know a painted cardboard box or three could spark such creativity. We'll endeavour to create some more sea creatures for your next visit...

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