Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Magpies

Flu. Off work. Aching back. Scrambled brain.

****

Candle and incense lit. Can’t focus on the breath. Or chant. Through the window a low, grey sky as the wind separates more leaves from the branches of the rowan tree.

A pair of magpies chuckle and squawk on a neighbour’s nearby roof. I don’t get the dislike these birds apparently evoke - they can be garrulous and, um, assertive, to be sure but they are also beautiful and there is a dash of entertaining villainy about them. Rather attractive, all that thieving.

Hard to sit still.

****

Finished: Restless, William Boyd. Well written spy story.
Surfed the net: Sporadically. Found this illuminating op-ed in the New York Times on the global implications of the current financial mayhem.
Watched: 2 episodes of the West Wing.
Watched: News bulletins. Lots of them: elections: climate change: Afghanistan: credit crunch. Retained some of it.
Purchased: The Millenium Collection - Tim Hardin (via Amazon). I had an LP of Tim Hardin in the 70s which I lost. Like many other things in that decade.

Drank rooibos tea.
Used one full box of tissues.
Coughed.
Fretted
Slept.
Cabin fever.

****

Two magpies.

One for sorrow
Two for joy ...

11 comments:

Relatively Retiring said...

I hope the magpies bring some joy soon - and better health.
I have a garden full of magpies - hanging around watching everything, commenting (apparently quite rudely) on my dog and next-door's cat. What is the collective noun?

mm said...

Not sure of the collective noun ... will try googling later.
Thank, RR. Am over the worst but still feeling a tad fragile. Easy does it for now.

Zhoen said...

(chicken soup)


I like magpies, too.

Dale said...

xoxoxoxo

Feel better soon, dear!

herhimnbryn said...

Soup and Malt whisky. Look after yourself...sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Anonymous said...

Magpies, collective noun:
tiding, charm, gulp, mischief, congregation, conventicle.

Round my way the dominant birds are http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/ring-necked_parakeet.htm. An exotic touch, and they look wonderful on bird feeders.

Hope you're starting to feel better.

Jan x

Relatively Retiring said...

A 'gulp' of magpies perfectly describes what happens on the bird-table every morning!

leslee said...

Sorry you're feeling lousy. Keep taking care of yourself, and I wish a mischief of magpies to cheer you.

We don't seem to have magpies here. When visiting friends in Denver, Colorado, they kept pointing out the local magpies - with great admiration.

Sky said...

we have never seen magpies, but we have heard many things about them. :(

hope you are back to normal very soon! orange spice tea (hot) always makes me feel better when i am sick, just like hot chicken noodle soup (with carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms) does. i would make you some if i were close by!

hugs to you, m.

mm said...

Thanks everyone. The sympathy and ornithological titbits are much appreciated. Made some soup yesterday. Back to work soon.

Looked up the definition of "conventicle". It means a secret place for religious worship!

Jan, I remember wild parakeets from my London days.

Anonymous said...

I'm a big magpie fan. But I never let a single one cross my path without the mantra, "Hullo, Mr Magpie, how's your wife?" Sad, eh?

Get well soon.