With feathers all stubby and brown

[venta]

A quick duck update, for those concerned...

After a brief debate this lunchtime about whether we were going to go out and fly ach's kite, Sysadmin #1 and I headed down to the river. Having performed some minor shopping, we drove straight there, thus avoiding the manky footpath to the canal referenced in comments earlier today.

We padded across a large expanse of green grass, goose shit and feathers... which was completely devoid of waterfowl. Honestly. Usually down there you can't so much as eat a biscuit without being mobbed by ravenous birds but today it was deserted. One single solitary sodding swan floated in supercilious isolation on the far bank.

I hurled abuse at bird-kind in general and suddenly there was a whirring of wings and a pair of ducks came flying in like the cavalry. Only, you know, with less in the way of hooves. And more beaks. They skidded to a splashy halt directly in front of us and looked expectant.

We cast our bread upon the waters, and the ducks obligingly pounced upon it as if starved for weeks. At some point, the haughty swan detached itself from the bank, and began a slow, majestic sail over to our side. Not because it wanted any bread, you understand. Just to survey things.

As the bread disappeared into the ducks, the swan drew ever closer. Very, very slowly. Eventually it neared our bank, so I threw it a chunk of crust. It turned round for a bit of a preen, ignoring the bread. Then, since we were offering, it most generously deigned to nibble on the odd crumb or two. Not that it was hungry. Or wanted to. Just, you know, because it knows what its public expects.

I think I preferred the ducks.

However, honour is satisfied and the crusts are now safely disposed of.

Comments

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

We cast our bread upon the waters

Do let us know if thou shalt find it after many days, like Ecclesiastes says. I've never managed to get that bit to work. Although to be honest I'm not that keen to go looking in the obvious places it might end up.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Apparently, I shalted not. No unexpected caches of bread have turned up, anyway.

These OT bearded types can never be trusted.