Sunday 9 August 2009

the way of the duck [and an angel playing piano]



yesterday was a truly splendid day
it began well
i awoke breathing
[always a good beginning]
the sun shone and twinkled
on ice-rimed grass
and the spring blossomsnow
was everywhere

we wandered to the farmer's market
a happy saturday habit
where we found
among other things
ducks

cartoonist Michael Leunig has good advice
'study the way of the duck'
these ducks had good ways
obviously
they needed to come home with us
and join the other rescued ducks

who knows what fates might otherwise have overtaken them?
someone might have thought they were food
not recognised their real purpose as great teachers
and philosophers
so here they are


with their new friends

i mentioned earlier that it was a splendid day
a wonderful day for weeding
finding small things that had been buried in the garden
and forgotten in the general buzz of things
there are few activities quite so satisfying
as carefully weeding out grass
from in between the freesias

while an old
and slightly tubby
Border Collie snores contentedly nearby
observed [a little disdainfully]
by a small fluffy CatfishWeaselBear
[for enlightenment scroll down the right hand side
to the image labelled 'Martha']


at sunset my parents and i
washed our hands and faces
put on clean socks
and tucked fresh hankies into our pockets
got into The Beastie
drove to Adelaide
and sat rapt in the audience
as David Helfgott
played piano, like an angel on speed



a truly splendid day

ps dear Mr Leunig, i know your images are copyright but i hope you don't mind me borrowing them cos they do link back to your site...

7 comments:

  1. o my, i love days like this india. i could almost smell the air at your place. when its all coming up roses. lucky ducks. they look relieved. the pianist looks a character, i loved lying here listening to him play. the sun is shining here too. ps. just wanna say i love the link to kitty kantilla and its one of my favourite sites. synchronicity is a wonderful thing. ;)

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  2. the weaver of good days amongst loving things and ducks who tell about the ways of life
    uhmmmm
    this is how life should be eaten, indulged and lived

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  3. lucky ducks!
    sounds like a very nice day!

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  4. Waddling philosophers....I like that :-)

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  5. ducks and garden and music. all in one day. you might go visit www.warwickpress.com, another lover of ducks.

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  6. Yes "lucky ducks" alright :) Wonderful day & music, and I like seeing Colin McCahon in your side bar. I'm currently looking at "text" in art and Colin's work is thrilling me too.

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  7. Oh Leunig...one of my great loves is his work...

    A great friend and teacher of mine have had a correspondence in little bits cut out of big newspapers over the years...

    Back and forth across the country to bring light and love to each other..

    Oh the beauty and power of the duck x

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