Just when, yesterday morning, I thought we were in for a grey day with a drop of rain, a little hole appeared in the cloud cover, paused for a while, and then as if two fingers had been inserted in it and pulled apart, it spread to reveal bright blue sky. The clouds tumbled away and there we were with another lovely day.
Rather spirit-lifting, is that.
It could be we’re in for a repeat performance today. That’d be nice.
I’m settling into a good, sustainable housework routine, keeping ahead of it, and working at a pace that’ll see the house completely spick and span in good time for the wanderer’s return in the first week of October.
Graham is so pitifully eager to get back home that I could like as not hang up my dusters now, knowing that he’ll not even see the dust. That’d not be fair, though, and would offend what residual traces of self-pride remain in me. So I shall see the project through like an honour system–something to be done out of respect rather than necessity.
Today is already shaping up rather well. Not only am I running about two hours early, but I remembered to pull the makings for my evening meal out of the freezer to defrost in good time. Sainsbury’s do a rather tasty pack of Southern fried chicken pieces; not quite as good as I can do myself but a lot easier. Sold fresh, they’re ready to cook as is, and they almost always have a two-fer offer on to encourage people to buy twice as much as they need. I freeze one pack and eat the other on the day of purchase, serving it up with sweet corn and a dollop of tomato sauce. When it comes time to eat the second one it feels as though you’re getting your dinner for free.
Almost free, that is, allowing for the cost of freezing and the price mark-up they undoubtedly apply to the offer. At the very least it’s a meal that comes out of the previous week’s budget, and that’s all the free that I need.
There’s a small holding up the hill a little way, out of sight, and they keep a few chickens for the eggs and for the pot. They have a cockerel, in good country style, and he rattles off a splendid cock-a-doodle-doo at first light each day.
This morning, rather early, I almost fell into a jaundice trap, thinking how good it would be to wring the scrawny little blighter’s neck and pop him in the pot to avoid the morning disturbance. Then I broad-tuned my hearing a little to take in the Monday-morning subdued roar of traffic over on the highway and came to realize my good fortune. I count myself lucky to be able to listen to the sounds of the countryside; the drivers of those unseen lorries and cars are unlikely to be able to stand still of a morning and hear what I hear.
So I hope it’ll be a good long while before he leaves the scene, and that there’ll be a worthy successor to pick up his song.
~~+~~
over the hill
a cockerel crows
good morning
~~+~~
I always say that having a cock-a-doodle-do in the morning (or afternoon or evening) is always far better than the roar of the traffic, any day of the year. Yes, you are blessed.
Just FYI, John, and any others here who read my all-too-rare journal over at WordPress, I’ve changed to one at JournalScape – and it’s so much easier for me there. It’s here if you wish to drop in and say hi.
http://journalscape.com/Bex
If you sign up for the notify emails, it does it automatically and is very simple, not like my old way of emailing friends and never getting it right!
Ta!
I prefer the sound of rooster over barking dogs.
Mmmmmm – Southern fried chicken. I could go for some of that right now!
Loved the video and so did the cat! lol. The dogs ears perked up and wondered what the sounds were.
Those poor cockerels! They’re doing their very best and no single hen cares…
The “ham” who stays in the frame seems a bit full of himself – I rather like the gentleman-bird who wanders off camera. The mourning dove is sweet also. We had lotsa roosters here this summer – they are a royal pain to clean – will take a roasting hem over a rooster anytime for stewin’-up!
hugs from PA
connie
“a little hole appeared in the cloud cover, paused for a while, and then as if two fingers had been inserted in it and pulled apart, it spread to reveal bright blue sky.”
How lovely. Thank you.
We have some roosters close enough to hear in the morning and it is indeed very pleasant to know that there is still some countryside around here.
There’s no countryside anywhere near us. I can see the freeway from my front yard. I love visiting my inlaws, who live in the great middle-of-nowhere in West Texas and I can hear roosters near and far.
That said, I like the 2nd rooster. He sounds like he has a frog in his throat.