Archive for October, 2008
08
Oct
08
WOOHOO. Baby news
Call me Ishmael -
I’m currently reading Moby Dick. I’ve always wanted to read this book but have not done for a number of reasons. Principly because I’ve always had something else to read and thought that I’d have to get into a certain mindset before embarking on such a heavy book. Having finally taken the plunge and started reading (mainly because Borders have an offer on at the moment with lots of classics books on sale at £1.99 – Oh Lordy!) I’ve found that the book is so far not at all like I thought. It’s been a riveting read with some brilliant observations about religion, human nature and human interaction. It’s also quite amusing – such as when one of the owners of the Pequod calls Queequeg, Hedgehog.
Call him Ishmael -
E and S are still awaiting for little Ishmael to appear. He was due last Tuesday. We’re all waiting for an update.
I’m zooming back to Coventry as soon as I get news of Ishmael’s arrival. Good luck E and S.
I’ve thought of little else this past week but you and Ishy.
05
Oct
08
Grave concerns about Jay.
We saw a jay! Yay!
NG had put some nuts on the slab atop a grave opposite us in the overgrown garden in front of the church.
We had great fun watching out of the window at the different wildlife eating or carrying away the nuts.
The first animal whose interest we piqued was a pigeon, who wobbled around the pile, until a magpie scared it away. Some other magpies came. Soon they got bored and flew away but only so far as the middle branches of the trees which forms a canopy over the majority of the garden. Some crows came and scared the magpies away. Soon the crows got bored too and flew away making it easier for the pigeons and magpies for take turns flying down nutty goodness. After a while some squirrels came. First they would do some reconnaissance and climb down the tree that stands about 2/3 feet from the grave; then they would climb back up the tree, then back down again onto the floor and sneak up on the grave through the overgrown foliage and make a surprise leap from their camouflage atop the grave and lasted until a vehicle came roaring past. Buses and lorries particularly made the dainty squirrel/s leap onto the tree and run for the heights.
Yesterday NG was looking out of the window and noticed a pigeon eating the last of the nuts. I noticed that the pigeon was a little skinny and wasn’t bobbling about but leaping and walking much like a crow. Then something clicked in my head and I suggested that it looked like a jay. Even though I’d never seen one before. I used to have a book when I was little about the birds of the UK and I think I remember it from there. After some research on the ‘net, we confirmed it was a jay.
We saw the jay again later in the day.
I did some reading about the jay and discovered that it’s a member of the crow family and not very much liked by farmers and the like.
From garden-birds.co.uk:
Like other crows, the Jay was persecuted by gamekeepers in its traditional habitat where it took the eggs and young birds of game birds, but also by fishermen who used its brightly coloured feathers for fly-fishing.
The move into urban woodlands has provided them with a safer habitat and, compared with the Jays in the countryside, Jays in towns are doing well. The downside is that Jays may soon be hated as much as Magpies
as more people witness them taking eggs and young birds.
I’ve always like magpies and crows. True survivors of the urban environment. I used to have a pet crow. I called him Joe after Roger the Dodger’s pet crow and reared him from a chick. Joe used to live in a hutch in my back garden. He used to fly off and then come back when he wanted feeding. Then he just stopped coming back at all. 
After reading about jays, I like them too.
If you want to read more about the jay, go HERE
I was riding around London last week along Chiswick High Road, intending to ride into central London and have a day milling around. I came to Raven’s Court park near Hammersmith and decided to have a ride through.
Upon entering the park I noticed hundreds of people on bikes. ‘Oh’ thinks I and then ‘No’.
All these people were on some London-wide cycling day intending to ride in central London and enjoy the freedom of the roads. I believe many of the roads had been closed to all vehicles except bikes. I had no desire to ride with them as there were lots of children and the whole train would be going very slowly.
I watched them all start off (I think there were several ’starting points’ around London). I sat on a bench as they all came past and they all looked very happy. At the back of the group there were lots of old Chopper bikes but these had been done up and looked great. Takes me back to my childhood whenever I see one of those bikes. I hated them. I always wanted tough bikes that I could ride around Yorkswood Woods, around Kingshurst Lake and the fields nearby. I always felt insecure on a Chopper bike. I went on and on to my parents who eventually bought me a Grifter. I loved that bike.
This wasn’t my bike – I found this picture on someone’s blog.
What a great looking bike eh?
After watching the parade of bikes, I decided to ride off in some other direction and do some shopping and mill around like an early Christian.
I came to Chiswick Roundabout and stopped at the red lights. I heard a screech behind me and because I had stopped, I also stopped a cyclist behind me who obviously thought I was going to ride through the red lights. I turned around and noticed he had a yellow jacket on that all the riders in Raven’s Court Park had on. I somewhat naively assumed that because he was part of the group, he would be a little more sensible than he turned out to be.
He came up level with me and went through the red light, dodging the intermittent traffic but not before giving me some sterling advice – ‘Because we’re cyclists, we don’t have to obey the laws of the road”. And off he cycled.
I was lost for words. I despair of cyclists like him. Fucking idiot!
