For the March edition of the Field of Merit Newsletter I wrote a follow-on piece to my last post. The title is Water, water everywhere. Here is an extract:
There is a blackbird on the kitchen windowsill; jet black against the brilliant white snow with bright yellow beak and distinctive yellow eye-liner. Exquisite! It’s not often one can observe a wild creature at such close quarters. But what is it doing there?
Now, having returned to Eastern Cumbria, there is a lot of catching up to do after being away for a whole month. It has been a good and varied one taking in North Yorkshire, Berkshire, Devon and Cornwall. And Northumberland too of course. Hopefully I’ll now get back into the swing of writing regularly.
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“A slow singer, but loading each phrase
With history’s overtones, love, joy
And grief learned by his dark tribe
In other orchards and passed on
Instinctively as they are now,
But fresh always with new tears.”
The final lines from “A Blackbird Singing” by R.S. Thomas, whose anniversary was some days back.
The blackbird adapted to the urban world: sadly the thrush did not. Even the humble sparrow has a hard time.
Thank you Walter- lovely. Though I do see the odd Thrush at Throssel from time to time.