Even though I use the possessive adjective, I do not own my
back garden.
Oh no.
He who thinks has claim to its fee simple absolute is
a seemingly cute little bird with a red breast, but actually is a feisty,
imperious and somewhat aggressive member of our biosphere.
I admire his style, especially when he puffs up his manly
chest, like a Turkish weightlifter on anabolic steroids.
He’s my alter ego,
perhaps.
Little does he know about mortgages, never mind falling
property prices.
Even less does he care
about the substantial sum I spent on “making over” his territory just to
convert the understated into a salubrious “outdoor room.”
I must admit to
having carried out no research whatsoever to find out if the owner’s satisfaction
or quality of life has been improved because of my efforts.
I begrudge my flying visitor nothing. He is lord of the
lodge and, I suspect, scares away undesirable elements from lowering the tone
of our allegedly swanky neighbourhood.
I do wish, however, that he’d keep a closer eye on
my least favourite visitor, the magpie - ravenous scavengers, big,
squawky, and ugly.
These dark monsters are not at all like the cuddly garden birds
that feature on a glossy newspaper poster that hangs proudly in my kitchen.
It portrays
finches, tits, chiffchaffs, kingfishers, tree creepers, thrushes and, of
course, my friend and self-appointed guardian.
According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Erithacus Rubecula (the robin) is the UK’s most
popular bird.
Apparently, it sings nearly all year round and at night performs next to
streetlights.
Maybe there is a bit of the robin in me.
I sang melodiously in the moonlit streets of
Cardiff in 2009. A refrain about low-lying fields near a town in County Galway.
It was after seeing Ireland's rugby team win the 6 Nations grand slam. The vocalist marking the first time the feat had been achieved since the year before he, or I, was born.
It was after seeing Ireland's rugby team win the 6 Nations grand slam. The vocalist marking the first time the feat had been achieved since the year before he, or I, was born.
Next day I flew home.
©Michael
McSorley 2014
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