Realised yesterday the Olympic flame will go right past my flat, just like the Pope. At least I'll be prepared this time, and not think I'm hallucinating. There are coal tits - they are tiny! - tumbling and falling in the tree in the garden, like they're having their own Jubilee party - without the excruciating, ingratiating behaviour displayed by BBC - and you can hear squeaking from the wall where they are nesting. Brilliant essay by Malcolm Muggeridge from 1955 on the toadying by public and media towards the royal family.
Have been dipping into Simon Barnes' Birdwatching With Your Eyes Closed. It's funny and informative, gorgeous, short chapters. I'm still hopeless at identifying birds by their song, but it's a joy to lie with your eyes closed and just listen.
Have been dipping into Simon Barnes' Birdwatching With Your Eyes Closed. It's funny and informative, gorgeous, short chapters. I'm still hopeless at identifying birds by their song, but it's a joy to lie with your eyes closed and just listen.
My 7-yr-old nephew is the more gallus of the two, though he can be painfully shy. Watching Springwatch last week, when the wee nesting warblers got eaten by a domestic cat, he said: 'Cute cat'. How can you say that? I asked. He just smiled. Later, glimpsing David Cameron, he said: 'That man looks like a baby'.
My mother is improving - thankfully - though she's still not out of the woods. At times, I've been so exhausted, I've found myself walking around with my arms folded, holding them up, because they are so ragged. It reminded me of the darkest days of ME when at one point I actually had a sling for my arms, they felt so ill. And I remembered not being able to stir soup.
6 comments:
Glad your Mum's improving and hope your arms recover soon.
I love your descriptions of the coal tits...
I've not read Birdwatching with your Eye's Closed but can definitely recommend Barnes' How to be a Bad Birdwatcher. Birdsong is difficult but recognising it can make such a difference to knowing what birds are around!
Gallus! What would we do without these words?
Hey Crafty, I am confused though cos I can see coal tits, but *hear* blue tits (though I have seen one wee persistent blue tit). Has not been so much action these last couple days though, maybe cos of crap weather, they don't want to get drookit. It's great though cos if I am resting during day my bedroom looks right onto the coal tit's tree.
Hey Lesley, Indeed it is a wonderful word!
Thank you for the tip about the Barnes book.
I hope your arms are feeling better!
Warm regards from cloudy Boston . . .
Hey Mim, There is a podcast of 66 birds singing to go with the book, embedded in the link in blogpost. I have listened to a few. More confused than ever!
Hi Nasim, its amazing how many birds can be around and you'll rarely see them only hear them. Particularly at this time of year when many of them have young....
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