Tuesday 8 April 2014

New Life at Gorgie City Farm

I arrived at Gorgie City Farm today just 13 minutes after these adorable goat kids had been born


Just amazing.

I also checked up on the lambs which are now about two weeks old

not forgetting the sensible teenage lamb


I was at the farm for the third in the Pet Lodge Lectures Series, which today was a fascinating presentation on companion animals in Renaissance Italy, from Dr Sarah Cockram of the University of Edinburgh. Joining us at the lecture were several tiny chicks.

Sunshine pours into the greenhouse,
a chick flutters its eyelids,
twitters softly and snuggles down
in the warmth of my hand.

Chicks in hand,
the audience settles to listen
to a lecture on lap dogs
and ladies who keep kittens
in their sleeves.

A break in the talk while one restive chick
is removed to its heat box
where it cheeps and cheeps
until the other chicks are gathered together
and back by its side.

Write an essay on the importance of touch and warmth
in the human - companion animal relationship. 

My hands were too busy with the chick to take notes.


for NaPoWriMo and co-incidentally fitting the Twitter prompt of the day from Toasted Cheese

***

My poem Wild Otter Chase was recently published on Misty Mountain Review and Influential Poets was recently added to my page on the Verse Wrights website.

As ever, red text contains hyperlinks that take you to other webpages where you can find out more.


7 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

sweet babies.

eileeninmd said...

Love the little lambs! And your poem on the chicks is sweet! Enjoy your week!

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

Oh how darling!
Love the poem.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Touch and warmth and indeed vitally important in the human relationship Juliet - couldn't agree more.

Little Miss Titch said...

Awww how cute are they?xx Rachel

Unknown said...

Ah wow, that's just gorgeous. Sounds like a really interesting lecture topic, as well.

HKatz said...

I enjoyed the vivid account in this post - and the part about warm contact, the need for it, struck me most. I read recently about 'skin hunger' - the loneliness and lack of affectionate touching that some people suffer from. That warmth and closeness is necessary.