Sunday, November 27, 2005

Willow, more gulls, Alec Guiness

Recently, I have noticed the greeny grey tufts of willow catkins in the front garden of a house I pass. I read in my tree book that each catkin consists of a collection of tiny flowers. I shall look more closely tomorrow.

Whether it is because of cold weather on land or, as Clare suggests, bad weather at sea, the seagulls, they are acoming. First it was just a couple; the next day I saw several circling high above the Grove; today, I see a substantial flock wheeling north above Mount Sion.

The late Alec Guiness showed himself to be a natural noter of beautiful things in his common place book, largely devoted to quotations from his reading, but sometimes including his own observations. On occasions, his anitipathies surface. In one entry he writes: "I like the sound of many things, but not the barking of dogs, the road drill or the hovering, inquisitive helecopter".

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