(no subject)
I had the most perfect drive to work yesterday.
The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, and I had to wear my sunglasses for the first time this year. It really felt like a summer's morning. Can't wait till summer now :) Though this means I have to do what I've been putting off - getting my window winder fixed. Gawd knows how much that is going to cost.
The best part about it all though, was that the birds were out enjoying the sun too. There was a rookery just taking off from their roost - about 30 of them, flying off in different directions for a day of foraging. I drove past just as they starting flying, so it looked like when a pebble hits water and it ripples outwards.
Next was a buzzard, flying low over the motorway, the sun showing off it's beautiful underside pattern. I'm always amazed at their beauty when I see them that close. I forget in the times in between - my memory tells me they're just brown and big - but when you see them up close they are absolutely stunning.
There were two herons over a field, seemingly dancing with each other. I wonder if perhaps it was a mating ritual? I wish I wasn't going 70 at the time, so I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it.
Then the rest of the journey was filled with pigeons. I know they're probably one of the most hated birds. No, maybe not hated, but most ignored bird perhaps? Under-appreciated. They're so common people just dismiss them.
But if you study their flight patterns - wow! They are so gorgeous. They'll duck and dive and swoop and twist and turn. I've been caught out a few times thinking I'm seeing something else, then reailising it's 'only' a woodpigeon. Yesterday I thought it was the first swallow of the year! Seriously, watch them, You can see that sometimes they are just flying for the simple fun of flying.
(Not the city centre ones though probably - they're too fat!)
It reminded of the book 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull'. He gets bored with just eating scraps and so starts flying higher and higher just for the fun of it. He does spectacular aerial feats and pushes himself more just for the sheer fun and feeling of flying. He eventually goes to some higher plane and finds true happiness or something - I can’t remember it’s been that long since I've read it.
I read it at uni, leant to it someone and never seen it since.
*has just bought it again from amazon*
Underneath it all is some religious-fable running through. The idea of turning from the crowd and knowing God, or whatever entity, will lead to happiness and a sense of fulfillment. I know when I read it again I will see God in it, and when Adam reads it he will see Buddhism.
But beyond that it is a gorgeous book. When I read it at uni I was of no religious persuasion and just enjoyed it for what it was. Just as I enjoy watching the woodpigeons fly :)
Right, think I’ve waffled enough for now. I shall bid you adieu.
The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, and I had to wear my sunglasses for the first time this year. It really felt like a summer's morning. Can't wait till summer now :) Though this means I have to do what I've been putting off - getting my window winder fixed. Gawd knows how much that is going to cost.
The best part about it all though, was that the birds were out enjoying the sun too. There was a rookery just taking off from their roost - about 30 of them, flying off in different directions for a day of foraging. I drove past just as they starting flying, so it looked like when a pebble hits water and it ripples outwards.
Next was a buzzard, flying low over the motorway, the sun showing off it's beautiful underside pattern. I'm always amazed at their beauty when I see them that close. I forget in the times in between - my memory tells me they're just brown and big - but when you see them up close they are absolutely stunning.
There were two herons over a field, seemingly dancing with each other. I wonder if perhaps it was a mating ritual? I wish I wasn't going 70 at the time, so I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it.
Then the rest of the journey was filled with pigeons. I know they're probably one of the most hated birds. No, maybe not hated, but most ignored bird perhaps? Under-appreciated. They're so common people just dismiss them.
But if you study their flight patterns - wow! They are so gorgeous. They'll duck and dive and swoop and twist and turn. I've been caught out a few times thinking I'm seeing something else, then reailising it's 'only' a woodpigeon. Yesterday I thought it was the first swallow of the year! Seriously, watch them, You can see that sometimes they are just flying for the simple fun of flying.
(Not the city centre ones though probably - they're too fat!)
It reminded of the book 'Jonathan Livingstone Seagull'. He gets bored with just eating scraps and so starts flying higher and higher just for the fun of it. He does spectacular aerial feats and pushes himself more just for the sheer fun and feeling of flying. He eventually goes to some higher plane and finds true happiness or something - I can’t remember it’s been that long since I've read it.
I read it at uni, leant to it someone and never seen it since.
*has just bought it again from amazon*
Underneath it all is some religious-fable running through. The idea of turning from the crowd and knowing God, or whatever entity, will lead to happiness and a sense of fulfillment. I know when I read it again I will see God in it, and when Adam reads it he will see Buddhism.
But beyond that it is a gorgeous book. When I read it at uni I was of no religious persuasion and just enjoyed it for what it was. Just as I enjoy watching the woodpigeons fly :)
Right, think I’ve waffled enough for now. I shall bid you adieu.