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October 30, 2007
A quarrel of birds?
Every evening I walk from the 'Guest House' to the internet cafe and pass under a large Australian Gum tree. The tree is home to a large flock of starlings and an even larger flock of sparrows. The noise can be heard a half block from the tree in any direction, hence my title as 'flock' seems a woefully inadequate description of these denizens of the desert.
Mind you, spend any time in this society and you soon learn that a 'Quarrel" may be an appropriate description for any gathering here. Nothing is debated quietly, everything has to be discussed with animation. And none of this polite listen to the first speaker and respond - everyone speaks at the same time with much hand waving and gesticulation. Anyone not used to this can easily assume that it is an argument, but generally it is just a discussion of some finer point of something - anything in fact.
So, as I wander back to the house tonight and pass beneath the tree I shall watch with interest the third colony that live beneath its branches - the many feral cats, feisty, shy and generally scrawny, but I suspect the quarrelling birds provide a regular bounty for their patience.
Yes, the more I think of it, I see in this tree two quarrels of birds and a patience of cats ....
Posted by The Gray Monk at October 30, 2007 06:08 PM
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Comments
So true!
Posted by: Cindy at October 30, 2007 10:46 AM