A Manhattanite uses a line from Cormac McCarthy to describe the current generation of US and UK politicians: "Mostly they just seemed to be waiting for things to be a way they'd never be again ". This combines brevity with perception.
Today we'll take the train north. It takes a little longer than flying but has zero stress when compared with travelling through the Heathrow holiday crowds. We can do it, door to door, well within in six hours. In our absence the fancy Edinburgh builders have shown up and taken down the old conservatory. This means we now appear to be a week ahead of schedule with the bathrooms simply waiting for the grouting to dry. The kitchen awaits the decorator ( hopefully this coming week ) and the counter tops ( tba as the joiner remains incommunicado ).
Whoever knew the council employed a falconer to keep the pigeons away ? The middle ages meet the 21st century . I would go over and ask the man if he enjoys his job but the falcon looks decidedly mean. The fact the pavements are free of pigeon droppings testifies to the falcons effectiveness.
10 comments:
I envy Angus the visit to the exhibition of dog paintings, although I imagine it prompted a wide range of feelings given Sophie's recent departure.
I'm curious to know which council employs the falconer?
WFT - It could only be the City of Westminster.
I wonder if I could borrow a falcon from time to time? The pesky pigeons have recently found where I feed the garden cats and are making a real mess everywhere. Amber doesn't seem to be having any luck moving them on!
Enjoy your journey home - time to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way.
Wonderful Sunday post. The Cormac McCarthy quote seems spot-on as to many Republicans politicians in the US, at least in terms of how they perceive their voting base. As the child of two very intelligent working class Republican parents, both the hypocrisy of these politicians and the pointless nostalgia of those who vote for them infuriate me. My mother became a florist, and I can just imagine her adding up what those doorway wedding flowers must have cost and thinking about how to introduce the concept in New Jersey. I once saw a falconer on the dining patio at a hotel in Scottsdale. The falcon was very focused and, I agree, not very approachable. I hope you enjoy a peaceful train ride before the onslaught of relatives.
We need to train our local falcons to develop a decided taste for squirrel.
Enjoy the train ride, a very comfortable and relaxing way to travel. Only once, did a book a hotel in London, in August, without air conditioning. I think London set an all time high temperature record that week.
There are those in the US who want things to be they way they never were. They have this fantasy vision of life in the 1950's and 60's that only ever existed in fiction and television.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum employed a falconer for the same reason with, I understand, excellent results.
When F worked beside Guy's Hospital,a falconer was employed there to keep seagulls away from the quadrangle (where they preyed upon people taking lunch time picnics). The falcon got rewarded with bits of mouse. It dropped its reward one day (from a great height and presumably accidentally unless falcons have a well developed sense of humour) right into the picnic of a particulatly sensitive woman with an unbelievable ability to scream loudly and forever it seemed without drawing breath.
Is it just the falcon's presence or do they swoop down on the birds from time to time?
To me - the floral arch around the entry had an air of Pride month about it - is is truly lovely - whatever it is celebrating
Post a Comment