By Edward Lear.
** A spoon with three wide tines one of which has a sharpened edge for cutting.
Well my little story about owls and pussycats starts with some more pictures of the owls who visit my garden at dusk. All three still come but now the young one has developed some self confidence and doesn’t hang around Mum and Dad so much, he’s starting to spot his own prey. At night my garden must be alive with little creatures because all three owls find plenty to eat and so do a couple of my cats, or maybe it’s the phase of the moon, at the moment the moon is a thin sliver but waxing with the first quarter on Thursday night and full in a week’s time after that, which is a complicated way of saying the moon is getting brighter every night for the next ten days and will be full on the twenty seventh. That probably means the owls will be seeing their prey more easily.
I’m afraid I can’t tell one from another yet, unless they’re perching in a row, so I’m not going to try to tell you which one this is because I have no idea.
Nor this one ….
nor this one….
What I will say is that they provide me with evenings full of interest and a good way to practice my flash photography, even if I do forget to put the batteries in the flash once in a while (ahem!).
The pussycat part comes with the arrival, after about three months absence, of my little cat Defne. The little sister of big Deniz she has been missing, nearly presumed lost, and I had almost given up ever seeing her again. She is such a small skinny little thing that I do feel very protective towards her. While looking at the owls the other night I heard a little “miaow” and turned to see her trotting towards me.
She has obviously been getting some food from somewhere, in fact that might be a clue to why so many times in recent weeks I have come down in the morning to find the cat food bowl empty, she might have been a nightime visitor. Well she got a big bowl of meat to tuck into and a saucer of goat’s milk to help it down.
I’m very glad that she’s back.
Chris, that photo of the harvest says a lot. The older woman is working hard, the young man, who should be helping, is standing hand on hip, looking idly on.
Javaid.
Chris, I am a big fan of Edward Lear. Have always loved his Nonsense Poems. Did you know he was Queen Victoria’s Art Master? He also visited India in the 1870s or thereabouts. He painted some fantastic watercolors of Indian scenes. His Nonsense Poems were much influenced by HobsonJobson words he picked up without quite knowing their exact meaning. He uses them to absolutely hilarious effect. Do look up “The Cummerbund.” It is utterly delightful, but you have to know the exact meaning of the Hindustanee words he is using such as “Bhistee” and “Dhobie” and “Punkah.” There are many others.
When I visit with you, I will explain those words. You will enjoy the poem even more.
Javaid.
I love that poem…. my brother used to know it word for word off by heart, but I’m afraid I never put any effort into learning it. Your owls are beautiful, and I’m very glad your cat has returned. It’s awful when they go missing and you never know what happened to them.
Thanks for your message Julia, I’ve always liked that poem too. I still have one cat who is missing since about 2007, still inside his possible lifespan though so I never give up hope.
Hi Javaid, the woman is my neighbour, Hanife and the young man is her son Hasan who is about 16 now. It’s a family affair getting in the harvest so I expect he has helped along the way somewhere. He’s usually a helpful boy but it is definitely a hard time for them, back breaking work particularly cutting the wheat by hand with sickles.
Thanks for your comment Javaid, no I didn’t know he was such a prominent artist. I will definitely look up The Cummerbund, and good to hear that you still intend to visit.
The poem is fun and there is someone on You Tube who recites them with music. Another take on old favourites. Chris, you are an old softie with all those pets – wild and domestic! Love the idea of watching the owls. You make it sound very idyllic. No wonder you dont want to move….
Hi LB, glad you were able to leave a comment. Yes I am really a softie but not so much of the old please darling, I was told the other day I don’t look a day over 55 ! I guess idyllic is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder, I do tend to overlook the blots on the landscape wherever I am and concentrate on the good things. The owls are wonderful and they are so quiet you don’t even realise they there until a movement catches your eye.
Apologies young sir. Age also is in the mind of the receiver. Still hope no one pulls that rug from under you just yet!!