Wester Craiglockart Hill

It was quite blustery today but the birds were singing at full volume on Wester Craiglockart Hill. We explored some new paths and found some new views.

There are small areas of important acid grassland on this hill, but they officially need more rabbits for them to be kept in perfect condition. There seemed to be plenty of rabbits there today!

***

Chiffchaffs proclaim their name
sometimes getting it wrong
in their keenness to display

chiff-chaff chaff-chiff chiff

the blackcap's fluid warble hides
among the blackbird's melodies
and the tiny wren's loud rattle

everywhere is birdsong


and I would rather go deaf
before the birds themselves disappear
taking their songs with them

this music lost forever.

see this article: Songbirds in decline – a tragedy for Britain's culture, as well as its environment in Guardian Environment

for NaPoWriMo.

Giraffe by J M Ledgard and a poem for NaPoWriMo

In 1975, secret police dressed in chemical warfare suits sealed off a zoo in a small Czechslovakian town and ordered the destruction of the largest captive herd of giraffes in the world.

J M Ledgard's novel follows the story of these giraffes from their capture in Africa and their travels to reach Czechslovakia. Part of the story is told in the voice of Snehurka, a beautiful young giraffe with a snow white belly. Also adding their voices to the tale are Emil, a zoologist who studies blood flow and Amina, a sleepwalker in the village who becomes fascinated by the giraffes.

The novel shines a light on the stress the giraffes were put under in their capture and transport to the zoo. Their welfare was totally disregarded to preserve the local domestic animals against a disease there seemed to be no proof the giraffes were suffering from. The last long section of the novel focuses on the slaughter of the giraffes and is very difficult to read.

The novel is also very interesting in terms of the insights it offers into how communism operated in rural Czechslovakia.

Giraffe by J M Ledgard published by Jonathan Cape. 


***

Zoo

We steal these animals from their homes
and destroy the rainforests
build on the plains and poison the waters

then we imprison the animals
if they're lucky in a recreated forest
sometimes just on concrete behind bars

where they pace from side to side
until we either let them free
or kill them because we have

no further use for them.

For NaPoWriMo

I have to admit to having mixed feelings about zoos. We shouldn't need zoos, but given what we've done to the natural world, surely it's better that the animals still live somewhere, even if it is in captivity? Plus a lot of zoos, do work for conservation and do return animals to the wild.

As ever, red text in this post links to other webpages where you can find out more.


 

Unfolding buds

 Norway maple flowers unfolding in Princes Street Gardens

sharing

another secret -

unfolding buds

for NaPoWriMo

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.

Tree Following: the Larch 5

Today I thought I'd look at what's growing underneath the larch that I've chosen to study for Tree Following.

Here's what it looks like as you approach it

quite a nice green undergrowth, though as you get closer, you can see there are patches of bare earth, covered only with fallen needles

there are sone celandines growing in the undergrowth, along with ivy, nettles, at least one species of umbellifer and a small leafy plant that remains a mystery to me, but I'm sure I'll recognise it when it comes into flower.

Also in the shade of the larch, there's a young sycamore tree and a couple of other trees too. 

There was no sign of the long tailed tits that I watched building a nest in the tree a couple of weeks ago, but a chaffinch was perched nearby with a mouth full of either nesting material or food for a nestling.

for Tree Following. 

Here's a clearer photo of some celandines, growing in the hollow of another tree in the Dells to give you a better idea of what they look like

Meanwhile it was wonderful to hear and see the first blackcaps, arrived back from their winter in Africa. One of my favourite bird songs. Some blackcaps spend the summer in the UK and winter in Africa, others spend summer in Scandanavia and winter in the UK. Some may even be resident in the UK.....

Lovely also to see blue tits checking out the nest boxes that I helped the Water of Leith Conservation Trust put up in the Dells last year.

and finally from today's walk:

the old dog's grave -
newly scattered ashes
and fresh flowers.

for NaPoWriMo

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

Stars

Lost Stars

We have lost the stars
behind neon orange clouds

so we carry the sign of the star
in our hands

hoping it will guide us
through the gathering night. 

For NaPoWriMo

***
This poem was inspired by the design of my latest craft project, details below.

***
This scrap of beige faux fur just fits my wrist and as soon as I saw it I knew I'd make it into a wrist cuff. However, it took me months to come up with the design for the finished product! Then suddenly I realised it would look nice combined with this nylon lace from a repurposed vintage robe and the buttons and star just fell into place too. Quite a nice item to wear for a party or other night out!

It was surprisingly quick to make and I think it turned out quite nicely. It's very definitely one of a kind as although I have more of the fabrics and the buttons, I don't have more of the stars. I've listed this piece in the Crafty Green Poet Etsy shop.

Mesolithic Edinburgh

Cramond is one of the most ancient sites in Scotland, certainly in Edinburgh. It is best known for it's Roman settlement, but it was also settled as far back as 8500BC in the Mesolithic Period (click on the above photo to read the information board!).

I was in Cramond yesterday, to add my objections to the exhibition of the proposed development of Cammo Fields (and you can read my thoughts on that here). It was a very misty day. Looking over the site of the Mesolithic settlement, I could almost imagine how it must have been all those years ago.

I leave the church hall and walk along the gravelled path
through the Roman site,
where signs label barracks and kitchens.

A car passes slowly on the winding tarmac lane.

I slip down the muddy slope
through layers of history.

Mist closes behind me
muffles vehicle noises,
hides the present and the Romans.

Ghosts gather between the trees,
middens of discarded hazelnut shells
their only legacy.

for NaPoWriMo