Joys of Winter

Sounds like a lovely friendly evening, butty.

butty I enjoyed that!

Lovely, Butty.

Starlings

No-one is first, no-one is last,
A rope of starlings unfurls against the ice-ble sky
Coils, twists and knots.
A marsh harrier
Not arrow straight,
Buffetted and baffled
Flaps clumsily into the swirling, spinning swarm.
The starlings whirl, gyrate and spin
Rising and falling.
No-one is first, no-one is last.

As if at a given signal
Thousands fall from the sky into the winter reeds
Chattering incessantly
Squabbling at screaming pitch.
Then silence
Stillness.
Together for warmth as the sky darkens and the temperature drops.
They will survive the night.
No-one must be first, no-one must be last.

Great picture, OGM. There's a wonderful sense of movement in your verse. Lovely.

Thanks Annobel I hesitated about posting it as there are so many brilliant wordsmiths on GN!
We are lucky to live about 25 miles from the largest starling roost in the country.

Thank you, OGM. That's great. I used to live near the starling roost on Beacon Fell in the Trough of Bowland. It's a stunning thing to watch them fly in by their thousands upon thousands from all the compass directions, isn't it? You have captured it well.

lovely OGM
My sarcococca confusa is doing what i intended. Kicking out a lovely scent, right next to the front door.
It is still very small and I have missed it the last 3 years, so the first time i have appreciated.
Confusa presumably cos it is confusa-ed about the time of year
Net to it my white flowering quince is just starting to bloom, although i have pruned it a bit too much... live and learn.

OGM Brilliant! You could be the next Poet Laureate [thnks]

Fabulous OGM

Waterproof trousers, hill boots –
My new ones, very comfortable –
Waterproof coat, scarf, woolly hat,
Hood, gloves, hi-viz ankle bands,
And off I go to meet DD
Coming out of school from the
Cross country running after school club.
A mile on
Meet her and her pal,
Sauntering home,
Hoods down, heads back, tongues out
Catching snowflakes.

Lovely picture!

bagitha love it!

What a delight - snowflake emoticon.

I don't think I dare ask for one, do you??

What a delight - snowflake emoticon.

I don't think I dare ask for one, do you??

?? Oh dear...

She who dares wins!

Perhaps a snowflake companion to the sunshine?

I like!

Vote now!

Snowflake has my vote! Was thinking Tech could adapt the sunshine one but it has eight points. How sad. Have to start from the beginning again.

But if we ever need a compass.....

Wet sleety snow all morning
Then at noon some SUNSHINE.
Headed outside
To pick up damp wood
And arrange it in my
Wood drying department
(an old pan stand next to a radiator).
Sunshine continued into a second hour
Enough to encourage a little –
A very little –
Spring cleaning of the wash house
With the door wide open
And chickens sun-bathing just outside.
Sunshine into its third hour now
And I've washed up,
Including two old but servicable mouse traps
Found in wash house.
I opened the springs to give the underneath
A good scrub.
I let go under water.
Now I have wet hair and the giggles.

baggy It's good to giggle

I've watched and whinged
and leapt from my chair
and peeked through my fingers
and ranted and raved
and full-throttle praised
and sighed and dismayed
at the skills and the nerve
the power and the verve
of two talented men
fighting to master
a small yellow ball...

Not meant to scan just a wee rambling and what's more, the sun it is a

super & bagitha ......giggles and sunshine and an afternoon of tennis ..... just lovely.

On a sunny late January afternoon
The hills to the north of my house
Take on a pinkish glow
As the sinking sun's angle to horizon
Gets smaller.
Smaller yet and the pink is transferred to sky
While the hills return to white.
Pink sky, white hills, blue loch
Reflecting the still blue sky.
Now as I write, after sunset,
Sky and water match in a grey-blue,
The farther hills have taken on their night white,
(Which is not the same as day white)
And the near hill, across that water,
Is Scotland's special winter rust
Of dead but beautiful bracken.