Kingish.com It's a way of life

Living in a city the size of London allows for little opportunity to experience the delights of nature in all it's glory.  Of course there are some small remnants remaining in our parks and open spaces, but little else.  As such, the city dweller is mostly detached from the lore of the land and, in many cases, oblivious to what's happening around them.

Two days ago, Christmas day, I was in a friend's garden having a cigarette (yes, I know, it's one of my new year resolutions).  All of a sudden I noticed a flock of birds flying south-west above me.  This in itself is not very remarkable, but then another large V-shaped flock passed overhead.  And then another.

Wave after wave of birds appeared and disappeared overhead. Realising that this was something one does not always see in London, I went to call my mother to join me.  She's always been interested in birds and nature, having being born in the country, so she was delighted when she also witnessed this odd behaviour. She too had not seen anything quite like this.  There were literally thousands of birds all flying in the same direction, south-west, in waves of between 20 and 100 at a time.  Wave after wave.  I joked and said that perhaps they knew something we didn't and that we should be following them, and that we should 'mark this day'. Her response was similar, but far more sensible: 'Perhaps the weather is changing'.

Today, we awoke to a snow-covered landscape fit for the most stereotypical Christmas card.

It just goes to show that the lore of nature is still visible, even to us living in the largest cities.  One just needs to look for it in the right places.

Happy Christmas!