Unwind

A golden brown cow unwinds on a hillside on a warm late spring day

My grandmother told me cows lying down can be a prediction of a good weather, or rain and thunderstorms, depending on whether they lie at the top or bottom of a hill. Pity I can't remember which she said was which.

 It seemed as everyone was chilling out and unwinding

 or under shade.

Take time to unwind as the wandering Welsh poet WH Davies most famous poem says - 

'Leisure'

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at U here

 

 

Guinea Fowl

I love Guinea Fowl's speckled feathers and always think they look quite exotic, as you would expect for a species that originated in Africa. Of course these are a domesticated variety, which can come in a large range of colours (approximately 21) but all I can guess about these two are they are what is called 'fully pearled', that is white dots all over. The owner of the Guinea Fowl was obviously a hen lover as there were various other species clucking around but I only had eyes for these two.

When I returned on the path past the house this one was perched on the window sill -  master, or mistress, of all it surveyed.  Maybe it gets treats from the whoever comes out of the door otherwise they are happy with grass and insects. Baby Guinea Fowl are called keets, and are a cute stripy headed bundle of feathers alas there were none here for me to drool over so for fluffy cuteness I will have to

turn to the goslings in my local park, unconcerned about my proximity as they

enjoyed their time lazing on the grass although

mother goose was rather more keen on them getting on with their meal.

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at G here

 

Geese

My computer is a bit glitchy today so I turn quickly to some recent photographs of geese.  Here are a pair of greylag (ancestors to most domestic geese) surveying their domain. 

Meanwhile the Canada Geese are prowling along the expanding edge of the lake

while keeping an eye out for the local humans who often appear with some easy eating.  I think they might be disappointed 

because nobody will be sitting on this green lakeside seat.  Its rather ironic that boating on the park lake was cancelled in the summer

 and the boathouse closed because of low water levels however in the springtime

 I was amused at this group of five children on a pedalo who were not shelling out for two boats when they could cram onto one.   No need to guess where the weight is concentrated and the life jackets in the back might come in handy.  

An entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet, this week sojourning at the letter G here

j

Quick Chicks

"Hello.Just enjoying a quiet day with my chicks.  Hey look out humans about!"

"Quick gather up.  Off we go"

"Come on form a queue".

"Don't hang back, keep up the quick pace, its all up the hill now until we reach water"

These chicks are bigger than this now, I love to see them grow, they will soon be big enough to quack.

An entry to ABC Wednesday - a journey through the alphabet

 

Goose Step

Come on family time to get going, walk like me

Thats it now you are moving

We've got a hill to climb, don't drop off the back.

 I will enjoy seeing this little family grow up over the weeks ahead.

Geese

Yesterday - a stormy day the wind and rain gusting and swirling, the waves foamed up the estuary. The sight in the afternoon of hundreds of geese filling the sky, flying in ever changing groups was spectacular. Whenever I see those distinctive V formations as they move from feeding site to their roosts it gives me a lightness of heart.

Geese often appear in Japanese Haiku. Here are two. The first is by Basho (b1644) and the other is by Issa (1763-1827)


Friends part
forever - wild geese
lost in cloud


Geese, fresh greens
wait for you
in that field